By The Canadian Press

Federal immigration officers shoot and wound 2 people in Portland, Oregon, authorities say

Jan 8, 2026 | 4:20 PM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside a hospital in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, a day after an officer shot and killed a driver in Minnesota, authorities said.

The shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building Thursday night, and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield vowed to investigate “whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority” and to refer criminal charges to the prosecutor’s office if warranted.

The Department of Homeland Security described the vehicle’s passenger as “a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring” who had been involved in a recent shooting in Portland. When agents identified themselves to the occupants during a “targeted vehicle stop” Thursday afternoon, the driver tried to run them over, the department said in a written statement.

“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot,” the statement said. “The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene.”

There was no immediate independent corroboration of that account or of any gang affiliation of the vehicle’s occupants. During prior shootings involving agents involved in President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement in U.S. cities, including Wednesday’s shooting by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, video evidence cast doubt on the administration’s descriptions of what prompted the shootings.

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Trump and his allies have consistently blamed Tren de Aragua for being at the root of the violence and illicit drug dealing that plague some U.S. cities.

The shooting escalates tensions in an city that has long had a contentious relationship with President Donald Trump, including Trump’s recent, failed effort to deploy National Guard troops in the city. Trump’s decision to send militarized personnel into U.S. cities to conduct immigration enforcement drew long-running nightly protests outside the ICE building in Portland.

According to the the Portland Police bureau, officers initially responded to a report of a shooting outside Adventist Health hospital at about 2:18 p.m. Thursday.

A few minutes later, police received information that a man who had been shot was asking for help in a residential area a couple of miles away. Officers then responded there and found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds. Officers determined they were injured in the shooting with federal agents, police said.

Their conditions were not immediately known. Portland police said officers applied a tourniquet to one of the wounded. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said during a Portland city council meeting that “as far as we know both of these individuals are still alive and we are hoping for more positive updates throughout the afternoon.”

At a news conference Thursday night, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the FBI was leading the investigation and that he had no details about the events that led to the shooting.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and the city council called on ICE to end all operations in Oregon’s largest city until a full investigation is completed.

“We stand united as elected officials in saying that we cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,” a joint statement said. “Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences.”

Wilson also suggested at a news conference that he didn’t necessarily believe the federal government’s account of the shooting: “There was a time we could take them at their word. That time is long past.”

Democratic State Sen. Kayse Jama, who lives near the shooting scene, said Oregon is a welcoming state — but he told federal agents to leave.

“You are not welcome,” Jama said. “You need to get the hell out of Oregon.”

The city officials said “federal militarization undermines effective, community‑based public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region. We’ll use every legal and legislative tool available to protect our residents’ civil and human rights.”

They urged residents to show up with “calm and purpose during this difficult time.”

Several dozen people gathered Thursday evening near the scene where Portland police found the wounded people.

“It’s just been chaos,” said one, Anjalyssa Jones. “The community is trying to get answers.”

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, urged any protesters to remain peaceful.

“Trump wants to generate riots,” he said in a post on the X social media platform. “Don’t take the bait.”

___

Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press reporter Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed.

Claire Rush And Gene Johnson, The Associated Press