DHS says a driver tried to run over Border Patrol agents during a targeted stop involving a suspected Tren de Aragua member.
PORTLAND, OR — Federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside Adventist Health Portland on Thursday afternoon after a traffic stop tied to a recent shooting investigation, authorities said. The Department of Homeland Security said a driver tried to run over U.S. Border Patrol agents during the stop, prompting an agent to fire.
Officials said the stop was part of a federal operation focused on a Venezuelan national linked to the Tren de Aragua gang and suspected in a recent Portland shooting. The episode unfolded a day after a fatal officer-involved shooting by federal immigration authorities in Minneapolis, intensifying scrutiny of federal enforcement actions in U.S. cities. The FBI is leading the Portland investigation, and Oregon’s attorney general said the state would review whether officers acted within their legal authority. City leaders urged a pause in local federal enforcement operations while investigators gather facts and interview witnesses.
Portland police said the first 911 call came about 2:18 p.m. outside Adventist Health, where a shooting was reported near the hospital’s grounds. DHS said federal agents moved in moments later for what it described as a “targeted vehicle stop.” According to the department, agents identified themselves and approached a vehicle with two occupants when the driver accelerated toward them. “Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot,” the department said in a statement. The vehicle sped off, and officers later found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds in a residential area a few miles away. Police said officers applied a tourniquet to one victim at the second scene. City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney told colleagues, “As far as we know, both of these individuals are still alive,” adding that officials hoped for more positive updates.
Authorities have not released the names of the wounded. Their conditions remained unknown late Thursday. DHS said the passenger targeted in the stop was “a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring,” but did not provide documentation of the alleged affiliation. Investigators have not publicly corroborated DHS’s account or the gang claim. Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the FBI had assumed the lead and that local officers were assisting with evidence collection and witness interviews. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said his office would examine “whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority” and refer potential criminal charges to county prosecutors if warranted. Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez appeared alongside police Thursday night and said his office would monitor the facts as they develop.
The clash comes amid heightened national tensions over immigration enforcement. On Wednesday in Minneapolis, an immigration officer fatally shot a driver during a separate operation, leading to protests and calls for independent reviews. Portland, which has had a long, fraught history with federal actions around immigration and protests, saw hundreds gather outside the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement building Thursday night. Demonstrators chanted and held signs while federal officers and local police maintained a perimeter. Past confrontations around that facility shaped local politics and policy debates, and Thursday’s shooting renewed questions about oversight, transparency and coordination between federal agencies and local authorities in Oregon’s largest city.
In Portland, investigators were still tracing the minute-by-minute sequence around the hospital and the later discovery of the wounded pair. Police said the initial hospital call and the officer-involved shooting were connected but did not detail how the confrontation began. The FBI’s evidence response team processed two scenes and collected video from nearby buildings and passing drivers. Officials said they would review any body-worn or dashboard camera footage from agencies that had it; Border Patrol agents do not universally wear body cameras, and it was not immediately clear whether any federal video existed from the stop. Detectives also sought ballistic evidence to determine how many rounds were fired and from where. The hospital said operations continued with added security while patients and staff were told to avoid exterior entrances near the taped-off area.
Legal and procedural steps were starting to line up. The FBI said it would present findings to the U.S. attorney’s office and to county prosecutors as appropriate. Rayfield said state investigators would coordinate with federal authorities but would conduct an independent analysis of use-of-force under Oregon law. City leaders, including Mayor Keith Wilson, asked DHS and its components to suspend field operations in Portland until the investigations conclude. Any charging decisions in the underlying crime that prompted the stop, including the recent shooting referenced by DHS, remain pending. Officials have not announced arrests tied to that case. Public records requests for dispatch logs and incident reports were filed Thursday evening, and authorities said they expected to release basic incident details as they could without harming the inquiry.
At the hospital scene Thursday, yellow tape cordoned off a lane near an entrance while a security guard stood watch and investigators photographed tire marks. Later, at the residential site, neighbors described a cluster of police vehicles and agents combing the street with flashlights. “It was quiet and then suddenly sirens everywhere,” said David Nguyen, who lives a block from where officers found the wounded. Outside the ICE building, protesters carried candles and called for accountability. “People are scared,” said Alicia Morales, who said she joined the gathering after hearing about the Minneapolis case. “We want answers, and we want them fast.” Police reported no major injuries during the protests and said traffic disruptions were brief.
As of early Friday, officials had not released the identities of the two people who were shot, nor the agent who fired. The next scheduled update is expected after investigators complete initial interviews and evidence collection later today. Authorities said they would provide information on the victims’ conditions when families had been notified and hospitals approved release.
Author note: Last updated January 9, 2026.