Mayor Wilson statement calling for ICE to halt Portland operations
Keith WilsonMayor of Portland, Oregon
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson condemned the shooting as a consequence of aggressive federal tactics and called on ICE to halt all operations in the city pending a full investigation.
“We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. Portland is not a "training ground" for militarized agents, and the "full force" threatened by the administration has deadly consequences. As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.”
Official statement
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was a Border Patrol agent justified in shooting Luis David Niño-Moncada and Yorlenys Zambrano-Contreras in Portland?
On January 8, 2026, at about 2:15 p.m., a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent shot and wounded Luis David Niño-Moncada and Yorlenys Zambrano-Contreras, both Venezuelan nationals, in the parking lot of an Adventist Health clinic in Portland, Oregon's Hazelwood neighborhood, during a vehicle stop conducted by a team of Border Patrol agents. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agent fired in self-defense after the driver, Niño-Moncada, 'weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents'; agents said he repeatedly reversed and drove his truck into an unoccupied rental vehicle used by the agents. Initial reporting described the pair as unarmed. DHS also alleged the two had ties to the Tren de Aragua gang and, in Zambrano-Contreras's case, a prostitution ring; Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the gang information did not draw a 'throughline' to the shooting itself. The FBI opened an investigation and initially reported finding no video of the shooting; Oregon's Department of Justice separately opened an investigation. The shooting prompted protests in Portland, including at least six arrests. Niño-Moncada was charged with aggravated assault of a federal officer and damaging federal property; Zambrano-Contreras was charged with improper entry by an alien and pleaded guilty within days, receiving probation. In February 2026, a nearby treatment center released surveillance video that offered a partial view of the incident. In July 2026, federal prosecutors disclaimed the gang-membership allegation and dropped the assault charge, and Niño-Moncada pleaded guilty to the lesser property-damage charge; he was sentenced in September 2026 to time served and ordered deported. Court filings unsealed in September 2026 also disclosed that a Portland police officer's body camera captured a Border Patrol agent attempting to remove an unfired bullet from the scene before being stopped.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Mayor Keith Wilson's statement on the city's website, published at 3:45 p.m. on January 8, 2026, the afternoon of the shooting in the Hazelwood neighborhood. It calls on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Reports Portland Mayor Keith Wilson's statement following the shooting, calling on ICE to halt operations in Portland pending investigation and questioning the federal government's account.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Wilson's office published the statement at 3:45 p.m. on the afternoon of the shooting, before DHS's gang-tie allegations were publicly walked back and before either victim was formally charged.
After the quotation
ICE and Border Patrol operations continued in the Portland area in the months that followed; Wilson's call to end operations was not adopted by federal authorities.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Wilson's statement condemns the shooting and the federal enforcement posture behind it, explicitly rejecting the premise that Portland should be subject to this kind of force and questioning whether the federal government's account can be trusted.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
More from this case
Read the full caseU.S. Attorney's Office for Oregon says an officer fired only after the truck hit a government car twice
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon
“As part of his plea agreement, Nino-Moncada admitted that his conduct placed others at risk of serious bodily injury and that he was conscious of or recklessly disregarded that risk. It was only after defendant struck the government car twice, within just a few feet of the officers’ positions, and with one officer in the path of the truck, that a government officer fired two shots at defendant.”Read statement
Federal prosecutors say the agent's decision to shoot was reasonable
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon
“supports that the shooting officer’s reaction in shooting after the Tacoma nearly ran him over was reasonable in the face of such danger occurring within those brief seconds.”Read statement
Federal defender says the agent likely fired to stop the truck from fleeing, not in self-defense
“was not in position to be hit by the truck; he likely fired to prevent the truck from fleeing rather than in self-defense.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Mayor Wilson statement calling for ICE to halt Portland operations". First published: 2026-09-24. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2194-portland-mayor-keith-wilson-condemned-the-shooting-as