Federal Border Police officers in the American city of Portland have shot two people, Reuters news agency reports. It concerns a man and a woman. Both were taken to hospital. Nothing is yet known about the severity of their injuries. Maxine Dexter, the Democratic representative for the district where the shooting took place, said that both injured people “are alive, but we do not know the severity of their injuries.”
Local officials have urged residents of the state of Oregon, where Portland is located, to calm down. Earlier this week, a woman in Minneapolis was shot dead by an ICE immigration agent. That shooting sparked two days of protests in Minneapolis.
“We understand the heightened emotions and tensions many are feeling following the shooting in Minneapolis, but I ask the community to remain calm as we work to gain clarity,” Portland Police Chief Bob Day said in a statement. He also said that the investigation into the incident has been transferred to the FBI.
The shooting in Portland occurred Thursday afternoon when U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted a targeted vehicle stop, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement. According to the ministry, the driver of the car was an illegal immigrant who may be a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. He allegedly tried to drive into the officers, the statement said.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said at a news conference: “We know what the federal government says happened here. There was a time when we could take their word for it. Those days are far behind us.”
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Calls departure ICE
Democrat Maxine Dexter called on US immigration authorities ICE to leave Portland. “ICE has done nothing but bring fear, chaos and brutality into our communities,” Dexter said. “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 also demanded a local police investigation. “We need to give our local law enforcement the space to do their work,” she said. “There must be a full investigation without interference from Trump.”
Mayor Wilson joined Dexter’s call to end immigration enforcement. “We cannot stand by while constitutional protections are eroded and bloodshed increases,” he said. “As mayor, I am calling on ICE to cease all operations in Portland until a full investigation is completed,” he said.
Oregon Senator Kayse Jama said at a news conference that the “welcoming city” where he arrived decades ago as a refugee from Somalia does not need aggressive federal immigration enforcement. “This is Oregon. We don’t need you, you are not welcome here and you need to get the hell out of our community.”
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