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By Peter Aitken and Dan Gooding
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified two people shot in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday as suspected associates of the transnational Tren de Aragua gang in a post on X.
DHS then, on Friday morning, posted on X that the shooting occurred when a driver "weaponized their vehicle against Border Patrol in Portland," prompting the CBP agent to take "immediate action to defend himself and others, shooting them."
The driver was identified as Luis David Nico Moncada, and the passenger as Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, alleging that Moncada entered the U.S. in 2022, while Contreras entered in 2023.
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Why It Matters
Thursday's incident came a day after an ICE agent shot and killed U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The agency, which falls under DHS, has come under increased scrutiny over the past 48 hours for its agents' use of force—both towards alleged illegal immigrant criminals, protestors, and bystanders.
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What To Know
The FBI on Thursday said it was investigating a shooting involving Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in Portland that wounded two people at around 2:15 p.m. local time. Both victims had been transported to a hospital in an unknown condition.
The post from DHS on Friday alleged both were identified as a "criminal illegal alien from Venezuela," with DHS blaming the Biden administration for allowing the pair entry into the U.S.
Moncada had entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, the post said, while Zambrano-Contreas arrived in 2023.
The post further alleged that Moncada was previously arrested for a DUI and "unauthorized use of a vehicle," while Contreras "played an active role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved with a prior shooting in Portland."
Newsweek could not immediately verify these alleged charges and reached out to the FBI for further information.
Tren de Aragua and its alleged members have been a major focus for the Trump administration, with operations across the country targeting those DHS says are part of the gang, which originated in Venezuela. Some of the alleged members have vehemently denied any association.
In Portland, federal agents have been present for several months as part of targeted immigration enforcement operations. Protests have taken place alongside these efforts, as they have in other major cities across the country.
Thursday's shooting took place just outside a hospital, with the pair driving away before calling local emergency services. DHS said Friday in a separate post on X that they were both in the hospital and would be handed over to the FBI following their release.
Local leaders, including Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, are calling for ICE to end its operations there, with protests taking place outside an ICE facility in the city. Police then announced several protestors had been arrested after failing to move off the street.
What People Are Saying
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, speaking on Fox News on Friday: "Our agent, he practiced and followed his training, as he should have."
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, in a statement: "While the details of the event remain limited, one thing is very clear. When a president endorses tearing families apart and attempts to govern through fear and hate rather than shared values, you foster an environment of lawlessness and recklessness. Trust is essential to maintaining public safety and the rule of law.
"Federal agents at the direction of the Department of Homeland Security are shattering trust. They are hurting people and they are destroying, day by day, what we hold dear. Our safety, and our sense of safety, are severely undermined by what happened this afternoon in Portland."
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, in a statement Thursday: "Today, I want to say clearly: we stand with Minneapolis. We stand with Chicago. We stand with Los Angeles. We stand with every community that is hurting, every family that is afraid, every person who feels unseen or unheard. ICE agents and their Homeland Security leadership must be fully investigated and held responsible for the violence inflicted on the American people — in Minnesota, in Portland, and across the nation."
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, in a press release on TdA in December: “Tren de Aragua is a terrorist cartel that exploits our borders to bring murder, drugs, and chaos into American communities. This Department is crushing their leadership, dismantling their networks, and cutting off their money across the United States. There will be no safe haven here. If you cross our border to commit violent crime, we will find you, prosecute you, and put you away.”
What Happens Next
Oregon's Department of Justice is monitoring the situation and has called for transparency and accountability from the federal government.
Reporting from The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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