As tensions continue to rise in Minneapolis, a protester has allegedly bitten off the finger of a Homeland Security agent during a demonstration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has claimed. This incident comes just a day after a Border Patrol officer fatally shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti, a US citizen with no criminal record beyond minor traffic offences, who was taking part in protests against federal immigration enforcement operations.
According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the agent’s finger was severed during clashes between protesters and law enforcement on Saturday. McLaughlin shared graphic photos on social media showing the officer’s bleeding finger and the severed portion preserved in a jar. “In Minneapolis, these rioters attacked our law enforcement officer and one of them bit off our HSI officer’s finger,” she wrote. “He will lose his finger.”
The DHS has also released images of two individuals allegedly involved in the attack, though their roles and identities remain unclear. President Donald Trump has since reshared McLaughlin’s posts on Truth Social, but has not commented directly on the incident.
These latest developments come amid escalating protests in Minneapolis following a series of violent encounters during federal immigration enforcement operations, which have already resulted in the deaths of two US citizens. On Saturday morning, 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents during an anti-ICE demonstration.
Pretti, who had a lawful gun carry permit and no criminal record beyond minor traffic offences, was allegedly involved in a confrontation with multiple officers before being shot. Federal authorities have claimed that Pretti approached Border Patrol agents armed and “violently resisted” attempts to disarm him, prompting an officer to fire in what they described as a defensive action.
However, local officials and bystander videos present a more nuanced picture, showing Pretti being wrestled to the ground and struggling with multiple agents before being shot. Questions remain about the precise circumstances of the shooting, including the presence and use of his firearm at the time.
Pretti’s death marks the second fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in less than three weeks, following the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during a separate incident, and another man being shot in the leg while fleeing immigration officials days later.
As the situation in Minneapolis continues to escalate, the DHS’s claims of a protester biting off a federal agent’s finger are likely to further inflame tensions and raise concerns about the use of force by law enforcement during the ongoing demonstrations.
