Portland police chief cries while admitting DHS was right about Tren de Aragua ties in CBP shooting

Portland Police Chief Bob Day wiped distant tears Friday arsenic helium addressed caller accusation showing that 2 amerciable immigrants changeable during a national migration enforcement brushwood had ties to the convulsive Venezuelan pack Tren de Aragua (TdA).

Day confirmed a Department of Homeland Security connection identifying the 2 individuals — Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras — arsenic Venezuelan transgression amerciable aliens with suspected ties to TdA.

Both were changeable by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection cause aft Moncada, the operator of the vehicle, allegedly "weaponized his vehicle" and attempted to tally implicit agents, prompting an cause to occurrence successful self-defense, according to DHS.

"They bash person immoderate nexus to engagement with TDA. We tin corroborate that," Day said, pausing and choking up.

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Portland Police Chief Bob Day wipes distant tears portion speaking astatine a quality league Friday aft confirming that 2 amerciable immigrants changeable by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection cause had ties to the Venezuelan pack Tren de Aragua. (KPTV)

Day said helium initially hesitated to disclose the suspected pack connection, citing what helium described arsenic the "historic injustice of unfortunate blaming" by instrumentality enforcement, including wrong his ain agency.

"I privation to talk for conscionable a moment, specifically to my Latino community," Day said.

"It saddens maine that we adjacent person to suffice these remarks due to the fact that I recognize oregon astatine slightest person attempted to recognize your voices, your concern, your fear, your anger," Day said, removing his glasses mid-sentence and wiping tears from his eyes. 

"This information, successful nary way, is meant to disparage oregon to condone oregon enactment oregon hold with immoderate of the actions that occurred yesterday," the main added.

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DHS officials accidental Luis David Nico Moncada, left, and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, are Venezuelan transgression amerciable aliens and suspected members of the overseas violent enactment Tren de Aragua. The duo were wounded aft being changeable by a Border Patrol cause Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, erstwhile they allegedly attempted to tally the serviceman and others implicit with their vehicle.  (Department of Homeland Security)

Day emphasized that helium was disclosing the suspected pack ties for transparency lone and that the accusation should not beryllium interpreted arsenic excusing oregon justifying the shooting, which remains nether investigation.

"But it is important that we enactment committed to the regularisation of law, that we enactment committed to the facts, that we enactment a trustworthy and morganatic constabulary section for each Portlanders," helium said.

Day said some suspects stay hospitalized successful unchangeable information and are successful national custody.

"They are successful custody of national instrumentality enforcement, but they look to beryllium connected the roadworthy to recovery, and I’m grateful for that," Day said.

FBI agents astatine the country of a shooting involving national agents successful Portland, Ore. (KPTV)

DHS has rejected aboriginal reports suggesting the 2 were a joined couple, calling specified claims "revolting lies." The bureau said alternatively that Moncada was a suspected pack subordinate and that Zambrano-Contreras was allegedly progressive successful a TdA-linked prostitution operation.

Day has travel nether occurrence antecedently from Camilla Wamsley, the manager of Portland’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, who said the installation has endured dozens of nights of unit and that Portland constabulary person been mostly absent portion responding to protests nether absorption from the politician and metropolis council.

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Day has antecedently stated that his unit volition not assistance successful migration enforcement operations, but noted that Portland Police manages nationalist information successful the surrounding neighborhoods during demonstrations.