Rep. Alek Skarlatos on officials' reaction to the Border Patrol shooting in Portland
Alek SkarlatosOregon state representative (R-Winston), speaking at a press conference of Republican legislators in Salem
Rep. Alek Skarlatos said the elected officials holding press conferences on the shooting were raising the temperature at the worst possible time. He said they should take pause and let the facts come out instead of jumping on the bandwagon of throwing law enforcement under the bus.
“These are elected leaders statewide. These aren't just random people that are giving these press conferences They are raising the temperature at the worst possible time after what happened in Minneapolis. It should be more of a reason for them to take pause and let the facts come out instead of just jumping on the bandwagon of throwing law enforcement under the bus.”
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
Reporting
About this source
KGW report on a press conference held by Republican legislators in Salem on January 11, 2026.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Skarlatos spoke at a press conference of Republican legislators in Salem on Sunday, January 11, 2026, three days after a Border Patrol agent shot two people in Portland. KGW reported that the Republicans called statements by Democratic leaders inflammatory.
After the quotation
At the same press conference Rep. Lucetta Elmer said it was deeply irresponsible for elected officials to politicize an active investigation. KGW reported that the offices of Gov. Tina Kotek and Mayor Keith Wilson did not respond to its requests for comment.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the Border Patrol agent was justified in shooting the two people. Skarlatos did not address the agent's conduct directly. He said elected officials were raising the temperature and should let the facts come out instead of throwing law enforcement under the bus. That disputes how other officials framed the shooting and does not say the shooting was justified, so we used the label Challenged the characterization.
- Recorded on
- Published here
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
Rep. Lucetta Elmer on officials' reaction to the Border Patrol shooting in Portland
“What Oregonians saw over the last 72 hours was not restraint. They saw immediate conclusions, inflammatory rhetoric and public statements made before all the facts were known”Read statement
Bob Day says gang ties do not validate the Portland shooting
“Nothing that I’ve said today should be warranted in any way to affirm whatever happened yesterday.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Rep. Alek Skarlatos on officials' reaction to the Border Patrol shooting in Portland
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/3448-rep-alek-skarlatos-said-the-elected-officials-holding
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Rep. Alek Skarlatos on officials' reaction to the Border Patrol shooting in Portland". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3448-rep-alek-skarlatos-said-the-elected-officials-holding