An agent with the U.S. Border Patrol shot two people accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang when they allegedly tried to hit him with their car, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Friday morning.
In a statement, the agency shared details on the apprehension of Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras in Portland, Oregon.
Authorities say both Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras were in the U.S. illegally and were suspected members of Tren de Aragua, a major criminal syndicate based in Venezuela.
“Yesterday, two suspected Tren de Aragua gang associates — let loose on American streets by Joe Biden — weaponized their vehicle against Border Patrol in Portland. The agent took immediate action to defend himself and others, shooting them,” stated DHS.
Moncada, the driver of the car, “illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration," the statement adds. Later, “he was arrested for DUI and unauthorized use of a vehicle” and “has a final order of removal.”
DHS said Zambrano-Contreras, the passenger, “illegally entered the U.S. in 2023 near El Paso, Texas, and was RELEASED into this country by the Biden administration.” Since she came to the United States, the government says “Contreras played an active role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved with a prior shooting in Portland.”
After they were shot, the two were taken to local hospitals for treatment, with additional information on their respective conditions still pending, reports Oregon Public Broadcasting.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident, according to OPB, stating that two Border Patrol agents were involved and investigating it as “an assault on a federal officer.”
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, a Democrat, issued a statement on Thursday denouncing the shooting of the two individuals, calling it “another deeply troubling incident.”
Wilson called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to halt their operations in the city pending a full investigation into the incident, and expressed gratitude “to our first responders for their support of the victims.”
“Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences,” stated Wilson.
“Federal militarization undermines effective, community‑based public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region. I will use every legal and legislative tool available to protect our residents' civil and human rights.”
The Portland shooting comes one day after an unnamed ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good while she was behind the wheel of an SUV in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Trump administration officials say the officer acted in self-defense and accuse Good of trying to run over the agent. Critics have argued that Good was simply trying to pull away from the ICE personnel around her.
Both incidents are tied to broader efforts on the part of federal authorities to capture and deport individuals who reside in the United States illegally, including violent criminals.
