US border agent shoots and wounds two people in Portland, police say.

Extract from ABC News

• Topic:Immigration

21 hours ago

Two people are in hospital following the shooting, according to local authorities. (AP: Gabriel V Cardenas)

In short:

Two people are in the hospital following a shooting involving federal agents in Portland.

Border Patrol agents were conducting a vehicle stop on Thursday when the driver "weaponised" the vehicle before an officer "fired a defensive shot", the Department of Homeland Security says.

What's next?

The condition of the two people injured remains unknown.

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A US Border Patrol agent has shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, prompting local police to call for calm after the fatal Minneapolis shooting earlier this week.

Portland police said the man and woman were taken to hospital. Their condition was unknown.

Border Patrol agents were conducting a vehicle stop on Thursday local time in Portland, Oregon, when the driver "weaponised" the vehicle before an officer "fired a defensive shot," the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on X.

At a news conference, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the FBI was leading the investigation.

'Targeted vehicle stop', DHS says

DHS described the vehicle's passenger as "a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring" who had been involved in a recent shooting in Portland.

When the Border Patrol agents identified themselves to the vehicle's occupants the driver tried to run them over, the department said in a written statement.

"Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot," the statement said.

"The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene."

There was no immediate independent corroboration of those events or any confirmation of gang affiliation of the vehicle's occupants.

Border Patrol is a branch of the US Customs and Border Protection agency.

Portland Police said in its statement that local officers were not involved in the shooting.

Local officers initially responded to a report of a shooting near a hospital.

The shooting was reported near the Adventist hospital. (Reuters: John Rudoff)

A few minutes later, police received information that a man who had been shot was asking for help in a separate area.

Officers then found a man and a woman with apparent gunshot wounds.

Police said they applied tourniquets to the pair, who were taken to a hospital.

"As far as we know both of these individuals are still alive and we are hoping for more positive updates throughout the afternoon," Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said.

ICE agent fatally shoots woman

The shooting comes a day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in Minnesota.

The incident escalated tensions in a city that has long had a contentious relationship with US President Donald Trump, who recently attempted, unsuccessfully, to deploy National Guard troops there.

An ICE agent has fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis.

Portland Police Chief Bob Day acknowledged the "heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis".

"But I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more," he said.

US Senator Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, urged any protesters to remain peaceful.

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"Trump wants to generate riots," he said in a post on the X social media platform.

"Don't take the bait."

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement that his city was now grappling with violence at the hands of federal agents.

"We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts," he said.

He called on ICE to halt its operations in the city until an investigation could be completed.

"Federal militarisation undermines effective, community‑based public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region," Mr Wilson said.

"I will use every legal and legislative tool available to protect our residents' civil and human rights."