A Border Patrol agent fatally shot two people in Portland, Oregon, during a traffic stop after authorities said they were associated with a Venezuelan gang, another incident in a series of clashes with federal authorities that have left Americans frustrated with immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
The man and woman are in stable condition after the officer shot them in their car Thursday, in what the Department of Homeland Security said was self-defense after the driver tried to weaponize the vehicle.
The incident occurred a day after a 37-year-old woman was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, sparking protests across the country as concerns about agents using increasingly risky or violent tactics intensify.
The FBI is investigating Thursday’s shooting, calling it an “assault on…federal agents” in a statement. The Oregon Attorney General also opened an investigation into the shooting. It is unclear, following the discord between Minneapolis and federal officials, whether federal authorities will allow Portland officials to participate.
As Portland faces a new round of scrutiny from the Trump administration, here’s what we know about Thursday’s shooting and the investigation that followed:
At 2:19 p.m. local time, Border Patrol agents conducted a targeted check on a vehicle with two Venezuelan migrants connected to the Gang Tren de Aragua, DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Thursday.
When officers identified themselves to the car’s occupants, “the driver cocked his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement officers,” McLaughlin said. An officer, “fearing for his life and safety,” fired a defensive shot and the driver took off with the passenger, she said.
Portland police officers responded just after 2:15 p.m. local time to the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street on a report of a shooting, according to Portland Police Chief Bob Day and a press release.
Minutes later, officers responded to a report of a man calling for help near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside after being shot. The man and woman who were also shot were taken to the hospital, according to the release.
The man in the car was shot in the arm and the woman was hit in the chest, DHS said Friday.
Both remained hospitalized Friday and the FBI will take charge of them upon their release, DHS said.
No officers were injured in the shooting, DHS said in a statement Friday.
Day said Thursday evening that he did not “know the facts of this case” since the FBI was leading the investigation, but that his department was offering all necessary resources to federal authorities. necessary.
DHS on Friday identified the driver and passenger as Luis David Nino-Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, two Venezuelan migrants who authorities said have entered the country illegally in recent years.
Nino-Moncada “is a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and suspected member of the Tren de Aragua gang,” DHS posted Friday on X.
“The passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, is a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and is associated with the Tren de Aragua,” DHS said. “Since his illegal entry, Contreras has played an active role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved in a shooting in Portland.”
Tren de Aragua is a notorious Venezuelan gang that President Donald Trump has targeted amid accusations of drug trafficking, murder and other violence. Details about why federal authorities believe the two are linked to Tren de Aragua were not immediately released.
Nino-Moncada entered the United States illegally in 2022, and Zambrano-Contreras entered the United States illegally in 2023, the DHS said in an article on X, adding that they were “RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration.”
The agency did not provide further details about their previous meetings with immigration authorities.
In the first hours after the incident, a DHS official cited an incident report to CNN indicating that the two suspects were married and were members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang. On Friday, McLaughlin told CNN that the man and woman were not married.
Although DHS did not share additional information about the shooting Zambrano-Contreras was involved in, Day provided more information about the situation during a press conference Friday.
There was a shooting in Portland last July, where one victim — a Venezuelan immigrant — said the suspects were associated with the Tren de Aragua, Day said. The man and woman who were shot Thursday were identified as being associated with the gang, but they are not currently suspects in the July shooting, Day said.
The man and woman also appear to be involved in criminal matters in Washington County, Oregon, he said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting the FBI in its investigation, the agency said. The FBI declined further comment when asked for additional details about its investigation.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced Thursday evening that his office was launching its own investigation, saying it would “examine whether a federal agent acted outside the scope of his or her legal authority.”
“We have made clear our concerns about the excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland and nationwide,” Rayfield said in a statement. “We have also made clear our intent to investigate circumstances involving federal agents to ensure they are accountable for their actions while carrying out their official duties.”
The investigation will include witness interviews, video evidence and other documents, and may be referred to the Multnomah County Prosecutor for possible prosecution.
It’s unclear whether federal authorities are cooperating with the state’s investigation.
Politicians demand ICE leave Portland
The shooting sparked negative reactions from elected officials and the public.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called on ICE to shut down all of its operations in the city, saying that even though he knew what the federal government had said, it was “long overdue” to take them at their word.
“Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents,” Wilson said at a news conference. “When the administration talks about using full force, we see what that means on our streets. »
“The attorney general and other leaders have made clear our concerns about the excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland, and today’s incident only reinforces the need for transparency and accountability,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said while calling for a “full and complete” investigation. “The people of Oregon deserve clear answers.”
Even Oregon Sen. Kayse Jama had a strong message in telling ICE to “get the hell out of our community,” mirroring the anger expressed by the Minneapolis mayor this week.
The Board of Commissioners in Multnomah County, which includes part of Portland, extended an emergency declaration Thursday in response to the continued presence of ICE even before the shooting occurred, County Chairwoman Jessica Vega Pederson said. The statement was initially released in December “in response to the ongoing impacts of federal immigration enforcement,” Vega Pederson said at the time.
Protesters were out Thursday night at a local ICE facility, where six people were arrested, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement. A few officers were slightly injured, Day said.
There was an increase in the “energy and intensity” of the protests, Day said, but he hoped protesters would remain peaceful throughout the weekend.
“We will continue to face all the various influences that come our way, but I ask and encourage Portlanders not to lose the credibility we have built, not only locally but nationally,” he said.
