Man bites off roommate's ear after row over Trump

A man's ear was bitten off in the US after a heated debate about Donald Trump's immigration policies boiled over.

Salatiel Marcos Ortiz, 30, a Mexican living in Pittsburgh in the country's north east, returned to his apartment early on Monday morning when his flatmate became confrontational.

His roommate, who lives in the US legally and has not been identified, was worried about the Trump administration's tougher migration policies and feared he would be deported, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Ortiz said his roommate had been watching Trump on television and drinking beer.

Upon his return the other man attacked, breaking Ortiz' finger and biting off a piece of his ear. Ortiz said his roommate threatened to get a knife and kill him before he managed to escape the apartment and run to a nearby petrol station for help.

"Anytime he is drinking beer, he is going crazy," Ortiz said.

Police arrived at the petrol station and Ortiz was taken to a local hospital.

Officers went to the apartment, where they found the piece of Ortiz' ear, but no sign of the roommate, authorities said.

Ortiz returned from the hospital later on Monday with his finger in a cast and a bandage over his ear, which had been stitched back together.

Police are still searching for the roommate, authorities said.

On Wednesday President Trump ordered construction of a US-Mexican border wall and penalties for cities that shield illegal migrants.

There are about 11 million illegal immigrants in the US, mostly from Latin America, whom he already has threatened to deport.