A Minneapolis hotel heavily damaged during overnight anti-ICE riots was among nearly 70 properties identified by the local chapter of the Sunrise Movement on a list of sites allegedly housing federal immigration agents, the Washington Free Beacon reports. The environmental activist group—supported by major U.S. foundations including George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation—had circulated the list days before the attack.

According to the Free Beacon, “video footage shows dozens of anti-ICE rioters descending on Home2 Suites by Hilton near the University of Minnesota late Sunday night. The group used noisemakers and pounded on trash bins before turning violent—the rioters hurled items at people, smashed windows, destroyed the hotel’s façade, lit fireworks, and graffitied the building. As they attempted to force their way in, those inside were forced to use two vending machines to block the hotel’s entrance.”

The Twin Cities chapter of Sunrise Movement had recently shared an online spreadsheet cataloging roughly 70 hotels it alleged were accommodating ICE personnel. Each entry included hotel names, phone numbers, and estimates of how many federal agents might be staying at each location. The document was last updated Saturday, ahead of the riot.

State officials confirmed that Minnesota Department of Public Safety officers initially responded to the incident but withdrew after federal agents deployed chemical agents to disperse the crowd. One federal officer suffered head injuries after being struck by a projectile. Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott later called the attack “an assault on law enforcement.”

The riot followed weeks of escalating protests linked to federal immigration operations in the Minneapolis area. Two fatal shootings this month—of activists Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 25—have fueled tensions between demonstrators and federal officers. Authorities said Pretti, 37, was armed with a handgun and resisted arrest during a Border Patrol operation, prompting an agent to fire.

Founded to address climate change, the Sunrise Movement has shifted some of its local activism toward opposing federal immigration enforcement. In Minneapolis, the group has hosted events titled “No Justice, No Sleep” and “Stop ICE & Build a Revolution,” encouraging supporters to confront hotels believed to host ICE agents. The local chapter has also claimed responsibility for at least two hotels temporarily halting operations after sustained protest activity.

A January 19 post from Sunrise Movement Twin Cities declared, “Our strategy to target hotels that are housing ICE agents is working,” celebrating what it described as public pressure victories. The post urged further action, claiming, “We the people have the power, and we’re not backing down.”

Tax records show that since 2019, Open Society Foundations has granted Sunrise Movement $2 million for social advocacy initiatives. The Ford Foundation contributed $700,000 between 2024 and 2025, while the MacArthur Foundation provided $250,000 in 2024. Sunrise leadership maintains that it rejects donations tied to external influence on its strategy and uses funds to support local organizing efforts.

Promotional materials for Sunday’s protest—shared anonymously through anti-ICE social media accounts—called on participants to “bring noisemakers, signs, and your anger.” The event was also promoted by the University of Minnesota’s Students for a Democratic Society, a student activist organization known for past building occupations and anti-Israel demonstrations.