Investigate CBP shooting

Oregon to investigate CBP shooting in Portland amid turmoil over immigration crackdown

It comes as Minnesota officials say that the federal government is blocking them from an investigation into a Minneapolis ICE shooting.

By Gregory Svirnovskiy

Oregon authorities are launching a probe into the Thursday shooting of two people in Portland by Customs and Border Patrol agents, state Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced in a post on X in the hours after the incident.

The Oregon shooting occurred just one day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, touching off a wave of protests over President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda and its strict enforcement throughout the city.

“We have been clear about our concerns with excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland and nationally,” Rayfield, a Democrat, said in a statement. “We have also been clear about our intent to investigate circumstances involving federal agents to ensure they are accountable to acting within the scope of their official duties.”

The state probe will look into whether the CBP officers exceeded their lawful authority in the Portland shooting, Rayfield said. It will draw from witness interviews and video evidence.

It comes as Minnesota officials charge that the federal government is blocking them from the investigation into Good’s death. Vice President JD Vance at a White House press briefing on Thursday asserted that the ICE agent involved in her killing has “absolute immunity,” and that state agencies lack the authority to investigate federal immigration action, attacking Democratic state and local officials for what he and others in the administration described as allowing for chaos on the ground.

“I think in any community across the United States, especially right now, what we want is transparency in what’s going on, especially when we’ve had two shootings in two days,” Rayfield told CNN on Friday. “And we want accountability when it’s appropriate.”

CBP and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation. But DHS said Thursday that the shooting occurred as CBP officials were trying to apprehend a Venezuelan national allegedly affiliated with the Tren De Aragua gang.

“I know the federal government really likes to toss out and kind of posture very early on in some of these cases, which I think if you are representing those law enforcement agencies, that’s probably what you’re going to do,” Rayfield said. “As we’re conducting an investigation, the details of those things, we’re not prepared to discuss those at this time.”