Two Wounded in CBP Shooting in East Portland
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents shot and wounded two people in Portland on Thursday afternoon, according to the Portland Police Bureau and FBI. The incident, which occurred near East Burnside and 146th Avenue in the Hazelwood neighborhood of East Portland, has prompted a federal investigation and sharp criticism from city officials.
The shooting happened at approximately 2:15 p.m. near the 10,000 block of Southeast Main Street. Portland Police Officers responded after receiving reports of gunfire and confirmed federal agents were involved. Officers located a man and woman with apparent gunshot wounds and applied emergency medical treatment before transporting both patients to local hospitals. Their current conditions remain unknown.
Federal Response and Investigation
The FBI announced it is leading an active and ongoing investigation into the incident. Portland Police clarified they were not involved in the shooting and noted that the Portland Police Bureau does not engage in immigration enforcement under departmental policy, though it maintains responsibility for public safety and state law enforcement.
The CBP-involved shooting in Portland comes just one day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, intensifying tensions around federal immigration enforcement operations nationwide.
City Officials Call for Accountability
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson issued a statement calling the incident a “deeply troubling incident” and demanding transparency. “We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,” Wilson said, calling Portland “not a training ground for militarized agents.” He called on ICE to end all operations in Portland pending a full investigation.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield expressed deep concern about the shooting and stated his office is monitoring the situation closely. “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,” Rayfield said in a statement.
The three City Councilors representing District 1—Candace Avalos, Jamie Dunphy, and Loretta Smith—issued a joint statement describing the two victims as “East Portland neighbors” and characterizing the incident as part of a broader pattern of violence. U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, also issued statements monitoring the situation.
Community Response
The incident prompted Portland City Council to abruptly recess during its Thursday afternoon session. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney interrupted proceedings to announce the emergency recess, and the council reconvened roughly an hour later before adjourning until the following week. The shooting has heightened community concerns about federal immigration enforcement operations in Oregon and Portland’s neighborhoods.
