Two wounded as US immigration officers open fire in Portland

Federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, escalating tensions after a fatal ICE shooting in Minnesota. City leaders demanded a halt to ICE operations as federal authorities defended the use of force, triggering protests and calls for investigation

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

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.

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When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants on 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 those events 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 US cities, including Wednesday’s shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis, video evidence cast doubt on the administration’s initial descriptions of what prompted the shootings.

According to the Portland Police bureau, officers initially responded to a report of a shooting near a hospital at about 2.18 pm.

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 the two people with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers determined they were injured in the shooting with federal agents, police said.

Their conditions were not immediately known. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said during a Portland city council meeting that Thursday’s shooting took place in the eastern part of the city and that two Portlanders were wounded.

“As far as we know both of these individuals are still alive and we are hoping for more positive updates throughout the afternoon,” she said.

The shooting escalates tensions in a 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.

Portland police secured both the scene of the shooting and the area where the wounded people were found pending investigation.

“We are still in the early stages of this incident,” said Chief Bob Day. “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.” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and the city council called on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement 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.” The city officials said “federal militarisation 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.” “We respond with clarity, unity, and a commitment to justice,” the statement said. “We must stand together to protect Portland.” US 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.”