Rep. Val Hoyle says acts of violence by federal immigration forces cannot be normalized
Val HoyleU.S. Representative for Oregon's 4th congressional district
In a statement on the day of the shooting, Rep. Val Hoyle said two people had been shot by DHS, called for an urgent investigation of the facts, and said such acts of violence must not be normalized. She called for de-escalation and for ICE to leave Portland.
“We cannot allow these acts of violence to be normalized. Over the past year, the actions of Trump’s federal immigration forces and propaganda machine have shown us that they have gone beyond making our neighborhoods safer, inciting violence and ripping families apart.”
Official statement
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
Hoyle's official statement issued the day of the Portland shooting.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Hoyle's office issued the statement on January 8, 2026, the day of the shooting and a day after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. It opened by saying she felt angry, exhausted and helpless and that the facts had to be investigated urgently.
After the quotation
The statement closed with a call for de-escalation and for ICE to leave Portland.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Reference point: whether the Border Patrol agent was justified in shooting Niño-Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras. Hoyle treats the shooting as one of the acts of violence that must not be normalized and demands that ICE leave Portland, which criticizes the use of force, so we used Condemned. We did not use Mixed or conditional because her call to investigate the facts accompanies her criticism rather than conditioning it. Evidence: primary, her office's press release.
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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
Cite this record
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- The Dispute Index
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- Rep. Val Hoyle says acts of violence by federal immigration forces cannot be normalized
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The Dispute Index. "Rep. Val Hoyle says acts of violence by federal immigration forces cannot be normalized". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4791-in-a-statement-on-the-day-of-the