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As new protests erupt and Democrats express outrage over another shooting involving an immigration agent in Portland, the Department of Homeland Security is setting the record straight on the two victims’ suspected gang affiliation.
In a Friday X post, DHS said that the two victims, Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, are Venezuelan criminal illegal aliens and suspected members of the foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua. According to the agency, Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras were shot by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent after the two attempted to run him and others over with their vehicle.
The incident occurred at approximately 2:19 p.m. local time, when Border Patrol agents stopped a vehicle and identified themselves as law enforcement, DHS has said.
"Yesterday, two suspected Tren de Aragua gang associates—let loose on American streets by Joe Biden—weaponized their vehicle against Border Patrol in Portland," DHS wrote, explaining that "the agent took immediate action to defend himself and others, shooting them."
ICE AGENT’S ACTIONS IN MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING WERE ‘ABSOLUTELY REASONABLE’: EXPERT
In a Friday X post, DHS said that the two victims, Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, are Venezuelan criminal illegal aliens and suspected members of the foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua. (Department of Homeland Security)
Both individuals fled the scene and were later found by Portland Police and administered first aid and taken to a hospital.
According to DHS, Moncada, who was driving the vehicle, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was released into the country by the Biden administration. In addition to his suspected Tren de Aragua affiliation, Moncada has been previously arrested for driving under the influence and unauthorized use of a vehicle, per DHS. He has a final order of removal.
Zambrano-Contreras, the passenger, also entered the U.S. illegally in the El Paso area in 2023. DHS said she was released into the country by the Biden administration. The agency said that Zambrano-Contreras has "played an active role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring" and was previously involved in a shooting in Portland.
DHS called reporting that the two injured were a married couple "REVOLTING LIES," writing in a separate X post that "the two criminal illegal aliens who attacked Border Patrol in Portland are a gang member and his prostitute NOT an innocent ‘married couple.’"
Leading Democrats were quick to condemn federal law enforcement after the shooting on Thursday afternoon.
Following the incident, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called on ICE to "halt all operations" in the city until a full and independent investigation can take place.
PORTLAND AGITATORS CLASH WITH POLICE AFTER 2 SHOT BY FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENT
Police in riot gear face protesters outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility Thursday night, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Oregon, as demonstrations erupted hours after a shooting involving a federal immigration agent. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
"We know what the federal government says happened here," Wilson said during a news conference Thursday. "There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time has long passed."
Wilson added that ICE agents and DHS leadership "must fully be investigated and held responsible for the violence inflicted on the American people in Minnesota, in Portland, and in all the communities across America."
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek reacted to the shooting, claiming it was "instigated by the reckless agenda of the Trump administration."
"While the details of the incident 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," she said.
Kotek said Oregon's attorney general and other leaders have raised concerns about the excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland, adding that "today's incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability."
CROCKETT WARNS OF NATIONWIDE PROTESTS OVER ICE SHOOTING: 'STATE-SANCTIONED EXECUTION'
Renee Nicole Good moments before she was shot and killed by federal agent in Minneapolis. (Obtained by Fox News)
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., reacted to the shooting on X, blaming the Trump administration for "inflaming violence."
"I'm monitoring the first awful reports of two people shot in Portland by federal law enforcement," Wyden wrote in the post. "I'll keep you updated, but Trump's deployment of federal agents in my hometown is clearly inflaming violence--and must end."
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This comes on the heels of anti-ICE protester Renee Nicole Good being fatally shot in Minneapolis in similar circumstances. The Trump administration has said that while obstructing immigration enforcement operations, Good attempted to run over an ICE agent who fired in self-defense, resulting in Good later being pronounced dead.
Both shootings have led to mass anti-ICE protests across the country and strong condemnations by many leading Democrats.
Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan, Alexandra Koch, Michael Sinkewicz and Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
