(JANUARY 9, 2026) On Thursday, January 8, 2026, U.S. Border Patrol agents shot a man and a woman during a traffic stop in Portland. This event has caused a lot of anger among local leaders and the community.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said their agents were performing a "targeted vehicle stop". According to federal officials, an agent fired his gun because the driver tried to run him over.
The two people in the car were identified as Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras. Officials stated they both came to the United States from Venezuela. The federal government claimed the pair were part of a gang called Tren de Aragua, but they did not provide evidence for this right away.
After the shots were fired, the driver did not stop. The pair drove about two miles to an apartment complex where they lived. The man called 911 to ask for help because they were injured. When local Portland police arrived at the scene, the federal agents were already gone. Both the man and the woman were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds.
This shooting happened only one day after a federal agent killed a woman named Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. These two events have made many people worried about how federal agents are acting.
Local leaders in Portland are very unhappy. Portland’s Police Chief, Bob Day, said that federal agents are not sharing much information with local officers. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said the federal agents are "shattering trust" in the community. On Thursday night, hundreds of people gathered to protest at a federal building, and the police arrested six people during the demonstration.