Violent crowds in Minneapolis disrupted a joint ICE and Border Patrol enforcement action, allowing the targeted suspect to escape and resulting in an ICE agent being permanently maimed after a protester bit off part of his finger. The unrest followed a Border Patrol shooting that killed 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, who officials say approached agents armed with a 9 mm pistol. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino blamed political decisions and agitators for the chaotic scene, while ICE said its Minnesota operations have arrested more than 3,400 alleged criminal noncitizens.
Minneapolis Unrest Halts ICE Arrest; Suspect Escapes and Agent Permanently Maimed After Finger Is Bitten Off
People yell at U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and other agents while they stop at a gas station while conducting an immigration enforcement action on Dec. 17, 2025 in Evanston, Ill.(Getty Images)
Federal officials say violent unrest in Minneapolis disrupted a joint U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol enforcement operation, allowing a targeted suspect to flee and leaving an ICE agent permanently maimed after a protester bit off part of his finger.
U.S. Border Patrol Commander at Large Greg Bovino said agents abandoned the operation after crowds intervened, assaulted officers and turned the scene chaotic.
This individual is still roaming the streets today, Bovino said, adding that political decisions and activists who encouraged the crowd contributed to the breakdown of the operation.
Officials say the unrest followed a fatal shooting by a Border Patrol agent during the same enforcement action. Federal authorities identified the man who died as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, an intensive care unit nurse at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital and a member of the American Federation of Government Employees. Authorities said Pretti approached agents armed with a 9 mm pistol and violently resisted when officers attempted to disarm him; medical personnel provided aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. State officials said Pretti held a valid permit to carry a firearm.
A screengrab from a video shows a law enforcement officer spraying irritants at Alex Pretti before he was fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026.
Target And Aftermath
Homeland Security officials said the enforcement action had targeted Jose Huerta-Chuma, described by authorities as an undocumented individual with a criminal history that includes domestic assault, disorderly conduct and driving without a valid license. Officials say Huerta-Chuma fled while agents were forced to withdraw amid the chaotic crowd.
ICE Executive Assistant Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations Marcos Charles said an ICE special agent was seriously injured during the clashes when a protester bit off part of the agent’s finger while officers tried to control the crowd. The agent received immediate medical attention and was hospitalized; officials say he is recovering but permanently maimed.
The protester literally bit off part of that agent's finger, Charles said, noting an increase in violence targeting federal law enforcement in Minneapolis and other parts of the country.
Charles also emphasized the stated objective of the operations: to arrest individuals officials consider dangerous so they cannot harm local communities. He added that, since ICE began these operations in Minnesota, the agency has arrested more than 3,400 people it describes as criminal noncitizens, including alleged gang members and others with violent records.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the shooting, the crowd violence and the escape of the targeted suspect. Local and federal officials have not released additional details about charges or ongoing search efforts for the suspect.
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