January 9, 2026
2 More People Gunned Down By U.S. Customs And Border Protection In Portland
Two people were wounded during a traffic stop involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, prompting criticism from city and state leaders and renewed protests against federal immigration enforcement.
Two people were shot and wounded January 8 in Portland, during an encounter involving a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an incident that has intensified tensions between federal authorities and local leaders.
According to KOTU, DHS said the shooting occurred around 2:20 p.m. outside an Adventist Health clinic near Southeast Main Street. Federal agents had stopped a vehicle when, according to the agency, the driver attempted to use the car as a weapon. “When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” DHS reported. “Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot.”
Reportedly, the driver fled the scene with a passenger, traveling more than 2.5 miles before stopping near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside. Portland police said officers responded to a call from a shooting victim at that location minutes later and found a man and a woman suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Both were transported to a hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known, though Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said she believed they were still alive.
DHS stated that the passenger was from Venezuela, was in the country unlawfully, and was believed to be connected to the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring. DHS also said the individual was suspected of involvement in a previous Portland shooting. Portland police emphasized that their officers were not involved in the shooting itself.
The FBI has taken over the investigation.
Agents were seen collecting evidence at both the initial scene near the clinic and the location where the wounded individuals were found. A red Toyota truck linked to the later scene was towed away Thursday evening, an investigators also examined a damaged black Hyundai in the clinic’s parking lot, though its role remained unclear.
The incident quickly drew condemnation from local officials. Mayor Keith Wilson called on the Trump administration to suspend Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Portland until an independent investigation is completed. “When the administration talks about using full force, we are seeing what it means on our streets,” Wilson said. “The consequences are not abstract.”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek echoed those concerns, saying trust between federal authorities and local leaders has eroded. “The priority right now is a full, completed investigation, not more detentions,” she said. “We demand transparency.”
City Councilor Sameer Kanal voiced anger during a protest outside City Hall, accusing federal officials of trying to “justify the unjustifiable” and assuring continued opposition.
Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan, who is running for governor, pushed back against the criticism, warning against “rushing to judgment.”
“An investigation is underway,” she said, adding that political leaders should not “incite fear to advance their own political agendas.”
Protests later spread to an ICE facility in South Portland, where police ordered demonstrators to disperse and took several people into custody, underscoring the divisions surrounding ICE and Oregon residents.
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