U.S. Border Patrol agents shot two people in Portland on Thursday, the latest in a series of shootings by federal agents enforcing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in several cities.
The incident in Portland came a day after the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, where local officials have disputed the federal government’s account of what happened.
State and city officials in Oregon said they did not know the conditions of the two people who were shot or why the Border Patrol agents were in Portland. Federal officials said that the agents were involved in an immigration operation.
Here’s what we know:
What happened?
Shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday, the Border Patrol agents were conducting what they described as a “targeted vehicle stop” in the Hazelwood neighborhood, about eight miles from the city center. An agent fired a shot into the vehicle after the driver tried to run them over, according to Homeland Security Department officials.
Local police said that they first responded after a man injured in the shooting called 911. The driver of the vehicle drove off after the shooting, local officials said, and the victims were found with gunshot wounds by the police more than two miles away. Local police said the federal officials involved in the shooting were no longer on the scene when they arrived.
Who are the victims?
Local police said they have no information on the identity of the two people who were shot, a man and a woman.
Federal officials said that the target of their stop was an undocumented immigrant affiliated with Tren de Aragua, a gang that has been a frequent target of President Trump. Tricia McLaughlin, the Homeland Security Department spokeswoman, said the target was also involved in a recent shooting in Portland. Officials provided no immediate evidence that this person was affiliated with the gang, which has roots in a Venezuelan prison.
The man had two gunshot wounds and the woman had a gunshot wound to the chest, an emergency medical technician told a dispatcher. E.M.T.s described both as Spanish speakers.
Residents of the Bria apartment complex in Hazelwood said the two people who were shot lived there.
What has been the reaction?
Comments by Portland Police Chief Bob Day appeared to underscore the limited cooperation between federal and local officials. Chief Day said local officials knew little about the shooting and that the investigation would be led by the F.B.I. He said it was unclear to the local police whether the incident was related to immigration, or which federal agencies were involved.
Gov. Tina Kotek of Oregon demanded a full and transparent investigation by federal officials. “Federal agents at the direction of the Department of Homeland Security are shattering trust. They are destroying day by day what we hold dear,” she said at a news conference on Thursday.
At that news conference, several officials sharply criticized the presence of federal officials in the city and demanded that they leave. “You need to get the hell out of our community,” said Kayse Jama, the majority leader of the Oregon State Senate.
On Thursday evening, hundreds gathered at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland to protest the crackdown.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
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