Border Patrol Agents Shoot 2 People In Portland, Oregon, Amid Tension Over Immigration Enforcement

Two people were shot by Customs and Border Protection agents Thursday in Portland, Oregon, amid heightened tensions after a woman in Minneapolis was shot to death by a U.S. Immigration officer under disputed circumstances.

Portland police said officers responded to a shooting involving federal agents and treated a male and female with gunshot wounds. The two were taken to a hospital and their condition was not immediately clear.

The incident came as people across the country expressed outrage that an ICE agent taking part in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign shot and killed a woman inside her car on Wednesday.

“Just one day after the horrific violence in Minnesota at the hands of federal agents, our community here in Portland is now grappling with another deeply troubling incident,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement the Border Patrol agents were attempting to stop a person from Venezuela who is affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang when the shooting occurred.

“When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” the statement said. “Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene.”

City Councilor Jamie Dunphy said he was pulled from a city council hearing and was told that the shooting occurred when an immigration officer attempted to stop a vehicle. He said the car attempted to leave and the officer opened fire, shooting at least twice into the car. The vehicle drove away and someone called 911 requesting an ambulance.

“This was in a largely residential side of town," Dunphy told POLITICO. “Demographically, it is the most diverse community. Economically, it is the poorest community.”

Portland has had regular protests of immigration enforcement over the past year, but the demonstrations have been minor compared to the violence that engulfed parts of the city in response to the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in 2020. Thursday’s shooting occurred about 9 miles away from the ICE office where protests typically take place.

Oregon lawmakers were quick to respond to the shooting, blaming the Trump administration’s deployment of immigration personnel to the city.

“I'm monitoring the first awful reports of two people shot in Portland by federal law enforcement,” Sen. Ron Wyden said in a social media post. “I'll keep you updated, but Trump's deployment of federal agents in my hometown is clearly inflaming violence -- and must end.”

“ICE has done nothing but inject terror, chaos, and cruelty into our communities. Trump’s immigration machine is using violence to control our communities—straight out of the authoritarian playbook. ICE must immediately end all active operations in Portland,” Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) said in a statement.