DHS names suspected gang members injured in Portland shooting as anti-ICE protests erupt

As new protests break out and Democrats express outrage over another shooting in Portland involving an immigration officer, the Department of Homeland Security is keeping a clear record of the two victims’ suspected gang affiliation.

DHS said in an Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras were shot by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent after they tried to run him and others over with their vehicle, according to the agency.

DHS said the incident occurred around 2:19 p.m. local time when Border Patrol agents stopped a vehicle and identified themselves as law enforcement officers.

“Yesterday, two suspected Tren de Aragua gang members, released onto the streets of America by Joe Biden, armed their vehicles against Border Patrol agents in Portland,” DHS wrote, explaining that “the agent immediately took action to defend himself and others and shot them.”

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Both individuals fled the scene and were later found by Portland Police, administered first aid and taken to the hospital.

According to DHS, Moncada, who was driving the vehicle, entered the United States illegally in 2022 and was released into the country by the Biden administration. In addition to being suspected of having ties to Tren de Aragua, Moncada had previously been arrested for drunken driving and unauthorized use of a vehicle, according to DHS. There’s a final restraining order.

Passenger Zambrano-Contreras also entered the United States illegally from the El Paso area in 2023. DHS said he was released into the country by the Biden administration. The agency said Zambrano-Contreras “played an active role in a prostitution ring in Tren de Aragua” and was previously involved in a shooting in Portland.

DHS called for reporting that the two injured people were a married couple, writing in a separate

Leading Democrats were quick to condemn federal law enforcement following Thursday afternoon’s shooting.

Following the incident, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called on ICE to “cease all operations” in the city pending a full and independent investigation.

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Police in riot gear confront protesters outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility as demonstrations erupt Thursday night, Jan. 8, 2026, hours after a shooting involving a federal immigration officer in Portland, Oregon. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

“We know what the federal government says happened here,” Wilson said at a news conference Thursday. “There was a time when we could trust their words. That time has long passed.”

Wilson added that ICE agents and DHS leaders “must be fully investigated and held accountable for the violence inflicted on the American people in Minnesota, in Portland, and in every community across America.”

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek reacted by claiming that the attack was “incited by the reckless agenda of the Trump administration.”

“Although the details of the incident remain limited, one thing is clear: When a president supports breaking up families and seeks to govern through fear and hatred rather than shared values, you foster an environment of lawlessness and recklessness,” he said.

Kotek noted that Oregon’s attorney general and other leaders have raised concerns about excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland, adding that “today’s incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability.”

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Beautiful moments before Renee Nicole was shot and killed by a federal agent in Minneapolis. (Taken from Fox News)

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., reacted to the shooting at X and accused the Trump administration of “inciting violence.”

“I am following the initial horrific reports of two people shot by federal law enforcement in Portland,” Wyden said in the post. “I’ll keep you updated, but Trump’s deployment of federal agents in my hometown is clearly inciting violence and must end.”

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This comes on the heels of anti-ICE protester Renee Nicole Good being fatally shot in similar circumstances in Minneapolis. The Trump administration said Good tried to run over an ICE agent who fired in self-defense while obstructing immigration enforcement operations, resulting in Good who was later pronounced dead.

Both attacks sparked mass anti-ICE protests across the country and harsh condemnations from many prominent Democrats.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan, Alexandra Koch, Michael Sinkewicz and Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.