The shooting comes a day after a Minnesota woman was killed by an ICE agent.
Two people were shot by Customs and Border Protection agents Thursday in Portland, Oregon, amid heightened tensions after a woman in Minneapolis was shot to death by a U.S. Immigration officer under disputed circumstances.
Portland police said officers responded to a shooting involving federal agents and treated a man and woman with gunshot wounds. The two were taken to a hospital and their condition was not immediately clear.
The incident came as people across the country expressed outrage that an ICE agent taking part in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign shot and killed a woman inside her car on Wednesday.
“Just one day after the horrific violence in Minnesota at the hands of federal agents, our community here in Portland is now grappling with another deeply troubling incident,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement the Border Patrol agents were attempting to stop a person from Venezuela who is affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang when the shooting occurred.
“When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” the statement said. “Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene.”
In a statement, the FBI Portland field office called the incident “an assault on federal officers” and said the agency would oversee the investigation.
City Councilor Jamie Dunphy said he was pulled from a city council hearing and told that the shooting occurred when an immigration officer attempted to stop a vehicle. He said the car attempted to leave and the officer opened fire, shooting at least twice into the car. The vehicle drove away and someone called 911 requesting an ambulance.