(José Niño, Headline USA) Two federal Border Patrol officers sustained permanent injuries when anti-immigration enforcement protesters bit off portions of their fingers during violent confrontations on Saturday, minutes after agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, according to a report by Fox News.
KSTP reported that Claire Louise Feng, 27, and Emily Duchateau Baierl, 37, face federal charges for assaulting Border Patrol agents and causing permanent injuries. According to NBC Chicago, Attorney General Pam Bondi characterized the assaults as “HEINOUS” and directed federal prosecutors to pursue maximum penalties.
The finger-biting incidents occurred as federal agents established a security perimeter around the scene where ICE officers had fatally shot Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital. According to federal criminal complaints, Border Patrol agents deployed chemical agent canisters to prevent civilians from approaching the active crime scene. The volatile situation escalated when protesters began kicking the canisters back toward law enforcement officers.
Feng allegedly tackled a Border Patrol agent during an arrest. When a second agent intervened, a violent struggle ensued. During the confrontation, Feng “forcibly bit the right ring finger” of the agent. Only after removing his protective glove did he discover that “the tip of his finger had been bitten off,” with the severed portion found inside the glove, as Channel 2 reported.
In a separate incident, Baierl was observed throwing objects at law enforcement. When a Border Patrol agent attempted to arrest her and remove her mask, she allegedly bit the officer’s middle finger.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin publicly confirmed the permanent nature of the injuries in social media posts accompanied by graphic photographs. “In Minneapolis, these rioters attacked our law enforcement officer and one of them bit off our HSI officer’s finger. He will lose his finger,” McLaughlin wrote.
KSTP reported that both women were arrested on Saturday and subsequently charged with “forcibly assaulting a federal officer and committing bodily harm,” a federal offense carrying significant prison time. They remained in custody at the Sherburne County jail while bail determinations proceeded.
Attorney General Bondi issued a statement announcing she had “directed my federal prosecutors to file charges for this HEINOUS assault on our brave law enforcement officer,” signaling the Justice Department’s intention to seek maximum penalties and send a deterrent message to protesters.
The suspect who allegedly bit the finger off of an HSI agent in Minnesota today has been arrested and is in custody. I have directed my federal prosecutors to file charges for this HEINOUS assault on our brave law enforcement officer.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 25, 2026
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
