Oregon lawmakers demand ICE leave Portland after shooting
Federal, state and local lawmakers representing Portland have issued statements condemning the shooting of two people by federal immigration agents today.
Congresswoman Maxine Dexter of Oregon wrote: “Just one day after the horrific murder in Minneapolis, I received reports that two people in my district were shot by federal immigration officials this afternoon in East Portland. Both individuals are alive, but we do not know the extent of their injuries,” she said.
“ICE has done nothing but inject terror, chaos, and cruelty into our communities. Trump’s immigration machine is using violence to control our communities—straight out of the authoritarian playbook. ICE must immediately end all active operations in Portland,” Dexter added.
As we reported earlier, Portland mayor Keith Wilson has issued a statement on the shooting of two people by federal immigration officers, calling on ICE to leave the city. “We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences,” he said. “As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.”
The Portland city councilors who represent the East Portland neighborhood where two people were shot by federal immigration agents today have released a statement as well. Councilors Candace Avalos, Jamie Dunphy and Loretta Smith wrote: “As your East Portland councilors, we have stood united to protect Portlanders from aggressive immigration enforcement and federal overreach and we will continue to do everything in our power to keep our communities safe.”
“We are asking our counterparts at every level of government to do the same,” they added.
Key events
Protesters are continuing to gather across the country to demonstrate against the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good one day after an ICE agent shot her in Minneapolis, and as news continues to come in about the shooting of two people by a Border Patrol agent in Portland today.
Here are some images of the demonstrations in Boston, Washington DC, Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
The Department of Homeland Security says the two people shot by border patrol agents in Portland today were affiliated with the “vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.”
“At 2:19 PST, US Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop in Portland, Oregon. The passenger of the vehicle and target is a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in Portland. The vehicle driver is believed to be a member of the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an email to The Guardian.
“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming,” she added.
Donald Trump has frequently spoken about the gang, beginning during his reelection campaign, when he falsely claimed that it had taken control of entire apartment blocks in the Colorado city of Aurora, and as recently as military strikes on Venezuelan boats preceding the administration’s capture of president Nicolás Maduro.
Here’s more of what we know so far about the shooting of two people in Portland by federal immigration agents:
“At 2.24pm, officers received information that a man who had been shot was calling and requesting help in the area of Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside,” the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement. “Officers responded and found a male and female with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel. The patients were transported to the hospital. Their conditions are unknown.
“Officers have determined the two people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents.”
The police statement also reminded the community “that PPB does not engage in immigration enforcement”.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Portland office posted on X that it was “investigating an agent involved shooting that happened at approximately 2:15pm near the 10000 block of Main St. in Portland involving Customs and Border Patrol Agents in which 2 individuals were wounded. This remains and active and ongoing investigation led by the FBI.”
The FBI appeared to have deleted the post shortly after.
Oregon lawmakers demand ICE leave Portland after shooting
Federal, state and local lawmakers representing Portland have issued statements condemning the shooting of two people by federal immigration agents today.
Congresswoman Maxine Dexter of Oregon wrote: “Just one day after the horrific murder in Minneapolis, I received reports that two people in my district were shot by federal immigration officials this afternoon in East Portland. Both individuals are alive, but we do not know the extent of their injuries,” she said.
“ICE has done nothing but inject terror, chaos, and cruelty into our communities. Trump’s immigration machine is using violence to control our communities—straight out of the authoritarian playbook. ICE must immediately end all active operations in Portland,” Dexter added.
As we reported earlier, Portland mayor Keith Wilson has issued a statement on the shooting of two people by federal immigration officers, calling on ICE to leave the city. “We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences,” he said. “As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.”
The Portland city councilors who represent the East Portland neighborhood where two people were shot by federal immigration agents today have released a statement as well. Councilors Candace Avalos, Jamie Dunphy and Loretta Smith wrote: “As your East Portland councilors, we have stood united to protect Portlanders from aggressive immigration enforcement and federal overreach and we will continue to do everything in our power to keep our communities safe.”
“We are asking our counterparts at every level of government to do the same,” they added.
Portland mayor Keith Wilson has issued a statement on the shooting of two people by federal immigration officers, calling on ICE to leave the city.
“We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences,” he said. “As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.”
Earlier today, Wilson released a statement saying “Portland stands with you, Minnesota.”
Here’s more of our reporting on recent immigration operations in Portland:
Federal agents shoot two in Portland
Federal immigration agents in Portland have shot two people, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports, citing the Portland Police Bureau.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Portland office confirmed the shooting in a social media post. “FBI Portland is investigating an agent involved shooting that happened at approximately 2:15pm near the 10000 block of Main St. in Portland involving Customs and Border Patrol Agents in which 2 individuals were wounded,” it wrote.
The shootings come just a day after an ICE agent fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis.
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the two Portland victims were transported to a local hospital. Their condition was not immediately clear.
“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,” police chief Bob Day told Reuters.
Portland City Council was in session and abruptly recessed due to security concerns, OPB reports. Later, councilor Sameer Kamal shared a post on Bluesky, stating, “Everyone is okay at City Hall right now. More will be shared asap.”
As the sun sets in Minneapolis, here are more photos from a day of protests that took place from Tampa to Philadelphia over the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent yesterday.
In a post on his social media platform today, Donald Trump said he wants the government to buy $200 bn in mortgage bonds to lower rates.
The news comes a day after the president also posted on social media saying his administration was moving to ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes in a bid to reduce home prices.
Here’s more on the president’s move to appeal to voters’ concerns about affordability:
Colorado’s attorney general says the Trump administration’s decision to end federal funding for certain state programs is part of a “revenge campaign” over false claims Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Colorado has refused to free an elections clerk who was convicted of organizing a data breach scheme based on claims fraud led to Trump’s defeat.
Attorney general Phil Weiser, who sued the Trump administration in October over plans to move US Space Command out of the state, amended his lawsuit today to include other federal funding cuts to Colorado. Those include the administration’s decision to withhold funding for programs that support needy families with children in five Democratic-led states, including Colorado.
Walz authorizes national guard to prepare to deploy
Minnesota governor Tim Walz has authorized the state’s national guard troops “to be staged and ready to support local and state law enforcement in protecting critical infrastructure and maintaining public safety”.
“Minnesotans have met this moment. Thousands of people have peacefully made their voices heard. Minnesota: thank you. We saw powerful peace,” Walz said in a statement announcing the order. “We have every reason to believe that peace will hold. Yesterday, I directed the National Guard to be ready should they be needed. They remain ready in the event they are needed to help keep the peace, ensure public safety, and allow for peaceful demonstrations.”
Earlier in the day, lieutenant governor Peggy Flanagan told CNN the guard was on standby “out of an abundance of caution” although demonstrations had been peaceful so far.
Republicans, including Donald Trump, criticized Walz after the 2020 murder of George Floyd by saying the governor should have deployed the state’s national guard sooner.
In a statement, Walz said the Minnesota State Patrol has also mobilized 85 state troopers.
Here’s more on the House vote to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies from my colleague Chris Stein:
All Democrats voted for the measure along with 17 Republicans, many of whom were moderates who said they could not tolerate a hike in healthcare costs for their constituents, but acknowledged the House measure will likely be revised by the Republican-controlled Senate before it is enacted .
“I am voting in favor of this discharge and of this legislation to send it to the Senate, so that the Senate will have the opportunity to put forth a reform package that can pass Congress and become law,” Republican congressman Mike Lawler said during a preliminary vote on the bill on Wednesday.
Trump has opposed extending the tax credits, and the Senate last month rejected a Democratic-backed measure similar to the bill that passed the House. Experts expect that premiums for enrollees of the plans will roughly double without the subsidies.
The Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, has opposed the credits , arguing they would enable fraud while calling the landmark 2010 law passed under Barack Obama the “Unaffordable Care Act”. Democrats made an extension to a centerpiece of their demands during the record-long government shutdown that began in October, while moderate Republicans sought to strike a compromise that would be palatable to both parties.
But after Johnson refused to bring any deal to the floor, four Republicans last month signed a discharge petition that forced a vote on the legislation extending the credits for three years, in a significant rebuke of the speaker.
