Federal immigration officers shot two people in Portland, Ore., on Thursday during a “targeted vehicle stop” of a Venezuelan illegal immigrant believed to have ties to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua.
U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted the stop to target the vehicle’s passenger, an illegal alien with suspected ties to a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and alleged involvement in a recent shooting, according to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS says the driver of the car, who is also thought to be a Tren de Aragua member, attempted to run over Border Patrol agents after they identified themselves, prompting an agent to fire a “defensive shot” because he feared for his life.
“When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
DHS identified both suspected gangbangers Thursday morning and revealed that they came into the U.S. illegally during the Biden administration. The driver, Luis David Nico Moncada, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was previously arrested for DUI and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, arrived illegally in 2023 and “played an active role” in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring, DHS said. Both of them are hospitalized and the FBI will assume custody of them upon their release.
Portland police confirmed that federal agents were involved in a shooting that left two people, a male and a female, hospitalized with apparent gunshot wounds. Upon arriving at the scene, police applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel. Local police were not part of the incident. The condition of the shooting victims is unclear.
“We are still in the early stages of this incident,” Portland Police Chief Bob Day said in a statement. “We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.”
The shooting comes one day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Minneapolis woman Renee Good when she used her vehicle to interfere with an operation. DHS revealed Thursday that the ICE agent responsible for shooting Good was dragged behind a vehicle driven by an illegal immigrant during a traffic stop last year.
The Trump administration has vigorously defended the agent who killed Good, calling it an act of self-defense against a “violent rioter” who “weaponized her vehicle” by driving toward ICE agents.
“Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Wednesday.
Good’s death has drawn enormous backlash against ICE led by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D). Hours after the incident, Frey delivered a profanity-laced press conference, telling ICE to “get the f*** out” of his city. Walz has promised a thorough investigation into the shooting, although federal authorities appear unlikely to cooperate with Minnesota’s probe.
A mother of three, Good moved to Minneapolis last year and was raising her children with her wife, Rebecca. Good, 37, had two children with her first husband and another child with her second. Through her six-year-old son’s charter school, Good got involved with anti-ICE activists working to resist immigration enforcement in Minnesota, the New York Post reported, citing local sources. The Trump administration has increased its resources deployed to Minnesota because of the state’s multibillion-dollar Somali fraud scandal that played an important role in ending Walz’s political career.