Protesters in US damage Minneapolis hotel believed to house ICE agents

A crowd of demonstrators damaged a hotel in Minneapolis late Sunday after gathering at the site they believed was housing federal immigration officers, pushing into the lobby, breaking windows and spray-painting anti-ICE slogans, the New York Post reported.

The protest unfolded at a Home2 Suites by Hilton in the Twin Cities, a day after US Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, 37, during an enforcement operation, an incident that has fueled days of demonstrations and heightened tensions across the city.

Video from the scene showed protesters shoving and throwing objects toward people just inside the lobby, including a Minneapolis Police Department officer, as others inside moved vending machines to block the entrance.

Chants, whistles, banging on trash cans and snow shovels, and strobe lights were used in an apparent attempt to disrupt anyone believed to be staying at the hotel.

Windows were smashed and graffiti reading "ICE OUT," "ICE KILLS" and profanities directed at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement were painted on the building. Debris and trash were left scattered in the lobby.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said the Minnesota State Patrol and the Department of Natural Resources were called to assist Minneapolis police with damage to hotel property. As officers attempted to encircle the group for arrests, federal agents arrived and deployed chemical irritants, dispersing the crowd, the agency said in a statement posted on social media. State patrol and DNR officers later left the scene.

An officer guarding the hotel entrance was seen bleeding from the nose or mouth, though it was not immediately clear how the injury occurred. At least two people were detained.

Officials have not confirmed whether any federal agents were staying at the hotel.