MINNEAPOLIS (TNND) — Anti-ICE protesters who gathered outside a Minneapolis hotel were met with a crude gesture from inside the building, according to witnesses and video shared on social media.
Footage circulating online appears to show a man turning his behind to a window before “mooning” everyone outside. The man briefly exposed his bare buttocks before giving the crowd the bird at the SpringHill Suites.
Protestors, who who believed U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino and other federal agents were inside, banged on drums, blew whistles, and yelled obscenities, as they stood outside.
TMZ reported that the incident happened at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Maple Grove on Monday night.
A day earlier, on Sunday, anti-ICE protesters also gathered outside the Home2 Suites in Minneapolis, where demonstrators similarly believed federal agents were staying.
Neither hotel management nor law enforcement officials have publicly commented on the incident, and it remains unclear whether the man seen in the hotel window was affiliated with federal agencies.
The protests come amid heightened tensions over immigration enforcement activity in the Twin Cities area, where recent operations have sparked demonstrations and drawn criticism from immigrant advocacy groups.
MAPLE GROVE, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 26: Law enforcement stands in formation while dispersing a “Goodbye Bovino Noise Demo” demonstration at the Spring Hill Suites on January 26, 2026 in Maple Grove, Minnesota. The demonstration was ruled as unlawful, leading to several arrests. Protests and demonstrations continue around Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killings of Alex Pretti and Rene Nicole Good by federal law enforcement. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The most recent was the deadly shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital. Pretti was shot and killed on Saturday by a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agent. The officer who shot Pretti is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran, federal officials said.
DHS previously said Pretti was fatally shot after he approached CBP officers while carrying a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and two magazines. Officials did not say whether the weapon was brandished.
This undated photo provided by Michael Pretti shows Alex J. Pretti, the man who was shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Michael Pretti via AP)
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” DHS wrote on X.
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene,” DHS added.
Gov. Tim Walz criticized DHS for sharing the information, as well as a photo of a gun, on social media without a more thorough investigation. He said the information was unrelated to the deadly shooting.
“It’s nonsense, people,” he said. “It’s nonsense and it’s lies.”
Protesters started gathering in the Twin Cities since January 7 after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
The agent, who has been identified as Jonathan Ross, fired his gun after Good allegedly tried to ram him and other officers with her SUV. Ross reportedly suffered internal bleeding when he was hit by her vehicle.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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