Federal agents have shot and injured two people in Portland, Oregon, intensifying nationwide unrest that erupted after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent killed a woman in Minneapolis just one day earlier.
Details of the Portland Shooting
The incident occurred on Friday, 9 January 2026, when Border Patrol agents, part of the Department of Homeland Security, attempted what they described as a "targeted vehicle stop". According to an official statement posted on X, the driver of the vehicle allegedly weaponised it and tried to run over the law enforcement officers. This prompted one agent to fire a defensive shot.
A man and a woman were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. Their current conditions remain unclear. The federal statement further alleged that the driver is believed to be a member of a "vicious" Venezuelan gang, while the passenger has been linked to a prostitution ring.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day addressed the community, stating: "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."
Minneapolis Tragedy Sparks Widespread Outrage
The Portland violence follows the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, a mother of three, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Thursday. Eyewitness and video footage suggests Good was shot in the head at close range as she tried to drive away on a snowy street.
The agent involved has been named in US media as Jonathan Ross. While former President Donald Trump and his administration, including Vice President JD Vance, have defended the agent's actions as self-defence, local officials have condemned the killing. Vance controversially stated Good was a "victim of left-wing ideology".
Minneapolis's mayor dismissed the Trump administration's account as "garbage". Leading Democrats have labelled the death "an abomination" and "a disgrace".
Escalating Protests and Political Fallout
Protests have swept across Minneapolis and other US cities. In Minnesota, schools closed due to safety concerns, and demonstrators outside federal buildings chanted slogans like "No more ICE" and "Go home Nazis". Border Patrol officers responded with tear gas and pepper spray.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson criticised the actions of federal agents, saying his city is grappling with violence at their hands and that "we cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts".
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz expressed deep concern over the independence of the investigation, fearing a lack of a fair outcome. He warned against allowing the incidents to be used as a pretext for deploying more federal forces or mischaracterising protests as inherently violent.
The twin shootings have ignited a fierce national debate over the conduct of federal immigration enforcement and the use of lethal force, with tensions showing no sign of abating.
