On Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, ICE agents shot and injured two people. Vice President JD Vance says the ramp-up of immigration enforcement has just begun.
Police officers responded to the scene and found a man and woman with gunshot wounds. The local officers applied a tourniquet and called for emergency medical personnel. They were transported to the hospital. The officers determined ICE agents were involved in the shooting.
FOX 12 Oregon obtained audio of the 911 call made by a man who stated he was shot twice in the arm and his wife had been shot in the chest.
Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said ICE agents stopped a vehicle in an attempt to search for a man suspected of being an undocumented immigrant connected to a Venezuelan gang. The agents claim they opened fire when the driver of the vehicle attempted to run them over. “Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,” McLaughlin stated.
In a news conference, Mayor Keith Wilson stated, “We know what the federal government says happened here. There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time is long past.”
Portland Police Chief, Bob Day, announced the investigation was being led by the FBI.
Oregon Democratic representative Maxine Dexter encouraged ICE to leave Portland, “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. We must allow our local law enforcement to do its work. There must be a comprehensive investigation without Trump’s interference.”
Mayor Wilson agreed with her statement, “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. As mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.”
Portland civil rights advocate Zakir Khan, called the hospital, where the shooting took place, to request the release of security-camera footage “as soon as possible.” An eye witness of the shooting stated he saw ICE agents follow a Toyota pickup into the parking lot and try to corner the truck. One ICE agent banged on the truck window. The driver backed up and pulled forward more than once. The Toyota hit a car behind it, turned, and sped off.
Last year, in Portland, protestors focused on an ICE processing facility. President Donald Trump attempted to deploy the national guard in response saying the city was “war-ravaged.” A federal judge stopped the advance saying the claim “was simply untethered to the facts.”
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley posted on X, “Trump wants to generate riots. Don’t take the bait.” Day agreed, “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.” The people of Portland are being encouraged to “respond with calm and purpose.”
Thursday evening, 100 protestors outside city hall in downtown Portland chanting, “Abolish ICE!” Another smaller group of protestors gathered outside the ICE facility on the waterfront dressed in animal costumes. Police forcefully cleared protestors from outside the facility. Six people were arrested.
Minneapolis ICE Shooting Update
The FBI took over the Minneapolis ICE shooting investigation. The Minnesota bureau of criminal apprehension (BCA) said its access to case materials, witnesses and evidence was revoked. Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem denied the BCAs claim and stated it was a “matter of jurisdiction,” according to reports from The Guardian. Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz said “the state must be part of the investigation.”
The Trump administration continues to justify the deadly shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota claiming she engaged in “an act of domestic terrorism” and the ICE agent responded in “self defense.” This statement conflicts with videos of the incident taken by witnesses at the scene that has been widely shared online. The video show the driver turned the wheels of her vehicle away from the agent before she was shot by an ICE agent three times while attempting to drive away.
By Jeanette Vietti
Sources:
USA TODAY: A week marked by shootings involving federal agents
The Guardian: Two people shot by US federal agents
Axios: Federal agents shoot man and woman in Portland, city police say
KATU: US Border agent shoots, wounds two people in Portland that DHS are gang members
Featured Image Courtesy of dog97209’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
