Two people were wounded Thursday afternoon during a shooting involving federal agents in Southeast Portland, prompting local leaders to demand a halt to immigration enforcement operations and urging calm as investigations continue.
Portland Police Bureau officers were dispatched at 2:18 p.m. to the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street after receiving a report of gunfire, police said. Officers confirmed that federal agents were involved in the shooting. Portland Police Bureau officers were not participants in the incident.
Shortly after, at 2:24 p.m., police received information that a man who had been shot was calling for help near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside Street. When officers arrived, they located a man and a woman with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers applied a tourniquet to one victim and summoned emergency medical personnel. Both victims were taken to a hospital. Their conditions are unknown.
Portland Police Bureau officers secured both scenes pending further investigation. East Burnside Street was closed westbound between Northeast 145th Avenue and Northeast 148th Avenue.
Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day said investigators are still in the early stages of determining exactly what occurred.
“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,” Chief Day said.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, and other community leaders held a news conference to condemn the shooting and call for an end to federal immigration enforcement activities in Portland until a complete investigation is finished.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said the violence in the community is devastating.
“These are not statistics. These are human beings. Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents. When the administration talks about using full force, we are seeing what that means on our streets. The consequences are not abstract. They are felt in hospital rooms, in living rooms, in the quiet moments when families try to make sense of what happened,” Wilson said. “That is why we are calling on ICE to halt all operations in Portland until a full and independent investigation can take place. Our community deserves answers. Our community deserves accountability. And most of all, our community deserves peace.”
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek criticized the broader policy direction of federal immigration enforcement.
“While the details of the event remain limited, one thing is very clear. When a president endorses tearing families apart and attempts to govern through fear and hate rather than shared values, you foster an environment of lawlessness and recklessness. Trust is essential to maintaining public safety and the rule of law. Federal agents at the direction of the Department of Homeland Security are shattering trust. They are hurting people and they are destroying, day by day, what we hold dear. Our safety, and our sense of safety, are severely undermined by what happened this afternoon in Portland,” Kotek said.
City Councilor Loretta Smith, whose district includes the Hazelwood neighborhood, said the struggle facing immigrants and refugees is real.
“What happened today is so unconscionable and another example of the federal administration’s overreach. This cannot continue,” Smith said.
Religious leader Rev. J.W. Matt Hennessee offered support to immigrant communities.
“I want to tell the immigrant community, especially the Latinx community — we are with you. As faith leaders, as members of the black community, you are our brothers and sisters. Nobody is going to stop us and nobody is going to break the chain of us working together. My favorite verse of ‘We Shall Overcome’ is ‘We Are Not Afraid.’ We are not afraid. And we will not be made to fear. We are going to rise above, we are going to reach out to one another, and we are going to work together, pray together, and protest peacefully together. Peace and love always win,” Hennessee said.
Congresswoman Janelle Bynum strongly criticized the actions of federal agents.
“This isn’t law enforcement, it’s state-sponsored terrorism,” Rep. Bynum said. “Stop fucking with us. This is the second shooting this week by agents following the orders of a wannabe dictator who is trying to take over cities and rule by instilling terror in the hearts of American people. When the President deployed his guardsmen to our city
earlier this year, we told him their presence was unwelcome and unhelpful. Today, we saw just how dangerous this is — we need these goons gone. Get to steppin’.”
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners released a statement expressing solidarity with communities and demanding an end to the violence.
“This afternoon, federal Customs and Border Protection agents shot two people in East Portland. We are in close coordination with our government partners and law enforcement to learn everything we can, and encourage patience in sharing information to ensure accuracy. We are holding the families and communities of those impacted in our thoughts. What we can say now is enough is enough. The terror and violence ICE is causing in our neighborhoods must end now. The County will not stand by as the federal government attacks our neighbors. We stand united in our support for our immigrant and refugee neighbors. Just this morning, we unanimously voted to extend an emergency declaration in response to the ongoing harm caused by ICE activity, and we will keep showing up every way we can. We know County residents are angry. We are angry. Portlanders have a proud tradition of opposing injustice through nonviolent protest, and we encourage our community to keep showing up as they have been to oppose this horrific violence. We must stand together.”
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said transparency and accountability are critical.
“We are deeply troubled by reports that two people were shot and injured in Portland today during an incident involving federal agents. We have been clear about our concerns with the excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland, and today’s incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability. Oregonians deserve clear answers when people are injured in their neighborhoods. Our office is closely monitoring this situation and will take appropriate action to protect the rights and safety of Oregonians as more facts come to light. We also encourage community members to review the Oregon DOJ Immigration Services & Support Resources toolkit to understand their rights and available resources during federal enforcement activity,” Rayfield said.
