Federal immigration officers shoot and wound 2 people in Portland,
Oregon, authorities say
[January 09, 2026]
By CLAIRE RUSH and GENE JOHNSON
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal immigration agents shot and wounded two
people in a vehicle outside a hospital in Portland on Thursday, a day
after an officer fatally shot a woman in Minnesota, authorities said.
The shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement building at night, and Oregon Attorney General Dan
Rayfield vowed to investigate “whether any federal officer acted outside
the scope of their lawful authority” and refer criminal charges to the
prosecutor's office if warranted.
The Department of Homeland Security said the vehicle's passenger was “a
Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de
Aragua prostitution ring” who was involved in a recent shooting in the
city. When agents identified themselves to the occupants during a
“targeted vehicle stop” in the afternoon, the driver tried to run them
over, the department said in a statement.
“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot,” it
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 from President Donald Trump's immigration crackdowns in
U.S. cities, including the fatal one Wednesday in Minneapolis, video
evidence has cast doubt on the administration's characterizations of
what prompted the shootings.
Trump and his allies have consistently blamed the Tren de Aragua gang
for being at the root of violence and drug dealing in some U.S. cities.
The Portland shooting escalates tensions in a city that has long had a
contentious relationship with Trump, including due to his recent failed
effort to deploy National Guard troops there. The city saw long-running
nightly protests outside the ICE building.
According to the Portland Police bureau, officers initially responded to
a report of a shooting outside Adventist Health hospital at 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 went there and found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds.
Officers determined that 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 them.
City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said during a 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.”
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A protester yells at a Portland police officer outside the U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday, Jan. 8,
2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
At a nighttime news conference, Police Chief Bob Day said the FBI
was leading the investigation and he had no details about the events
that led to the shooting.
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,”
they said in a statement. “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 does not
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 where it took
place, 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 in the evening near the scene where
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 protesters to
remain peaceful.
“Trump wants to generate riots,” he said on the social platform X.
“Don’t take the bait.”
___
Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy
in Honolulu contributed.
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