Law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Two people were shot and wounded by US federal immigration officers during a vehicle stop in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, authorities said. The incident is being investigated by the FBI.
US Border Patrol agents were carrying out a targeted vehicle stop in Portland on Thursday afternoon when the incident took place.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a post on X that the driver “weaponised” the vehicle during the stop. “The driver attempted to weaponise the vehicle and run over agents. An agent fired a defensive shot,” DHS said on X.
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…
DHS added that the passenger, not the driver, was the original target of the stop. After the shot was fired, the vehicle drove away.
The Portland Police Bureau said officers were first alerted to a shooting involving federal agents near a medical clinic in eastern Portland.
Minutes later, police were told that a man and a woman with gunshot wounds were seeking help about 3 km away. “Officers located a man and a woman with apparent gunshot wounds. They were transported to hospital. Their conditions are unknown,” Portland police said in a statement.
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Police said tourniquets were applied before the injured were taken to hospital.
FBI launches investigation
The FBI’s Portland office, quoted by AP, said it was investigating what it described as an “agent-involved shooting”. “The FBI is investigating an agent-involved shooting involving Customs and Border Patrol agents in which two individuals were wounded,” the FBI said.
The shooting happened at around 2.15 pm local time, according to authorities. Portland Police Chief Bob Day called for calm, citing public tension following another shooting involving immigration officers.
“We understand the heightened emotion many are feeling, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more,” Day said. City council president Elana Pirtle-Guiney told a council meeting that the shooting happened in eastern Portland.
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Law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore. (Photo :AP)
“As far as we know both individuals are still alive, and we are hoping for positive updates,” she said. Mayor calls for halt to federal operations
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said the city was dealing with violence involving federal agents. “We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,” Wilson said in a statement carried by Reuters.
Law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore. (Photo: AP)
He called on federal immigration agencies to halt operations in the city until the investigation is complete. “Federal militarisation undermines community-based public safety,” Wilson said.
The Portland shooting came one day after an officer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her car in Minneapolis, Reuters reported.
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That incident led to protests in Minnesota and increased scrutiny of federal immigration operations under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
US officials say vehicles have increasingly been used as weapons during enforcement actions, though such claims have at times been disputed by video evidence.
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Law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
