On January 8, 2026, federal Customs and Border Protection agents shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, during a vehicle stop. Officials stated an agent fired in self-defense, alleging the driver attempted to run them over.
On January 8, 2026, federal immigration agents wounded two people in a shooting in Southeast Portland, Oregon, sparking renewed debate over the use of force by US federal law enforcement amid heightened tensions across the country.
According to the Portland Police Bureau, officers responded at about 2:18 p.m. to reports of shots fired near the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street. Police confirmed that federal agents were involved, and found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds a short time later after the victims drove away and sought help. Both were transported to local hospitals, and their conditions remain unknown.
The FBI’s Portland office said it was investigating the incident as an “agent-involved shooting” that occurred during an operation involving **Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.” This social media post was later removed, though law enforcement officials confirmed the ongoing inquiry.
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Federal officials told reporters the encounter began as a vehicle stop. According to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statement shared on social media, the driver “weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” prompting a CBP agent to fire in self-defense. DHS also said the occupants were allegedly affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, claims that local media could not independently verify.
ICE shooting
The Portland shooting occurred one day after a separate confrontation in Minneapolis, where an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during an immigration enforcement action. The Minneapolis incident, captured on video and widely shared on social media, has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights groups and local officials, who argue the shooting was unnecessary.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson condemned the latest violence, saying the city was “grappling with another deeply troubling incident” and urging federal immigration actions to be paused until a full investigation is completed. “We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,” he wrote, calling for ICE to end operations in Portland.
Local and state lawmakers, including Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, also criticized the deployment of federal agents and stressed the need for calm and transparency. As investigations continue, the pair of shootings have intensified public scrutiny of immigration enforcement tactics under the current administration.
