Progressive Portland Rep. squirms when asked about inflammatory statement she made after shooting of suspected Tren de Aragua gangsters
Oregon congresswoman Maxine Dexter has faced a grilling from a reporter over her hasty statement about the shooting of two suspected gang members by a Border Patrol agent in Portland.
The Democrat representative's statement appeared to compare the January 8 incident to the fatal shooting of Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Jonathan Ross the day before.
The Department of Homeland Security later said that the agent involved in the Portland incident was a member of Border Patrol, not ICE, and shot the individuals in self defense after they allegedly rammed a law enforcement vehicle.
Both DHS and the Portland Police Department also said the suspects, Luis David Nino-Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, have ties to Tren De Aragua, a Venezuelan gang responsible for drug trafficking, prostitution rings and murders throughout the United States.
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin confronted the progressive lawmaker on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to ask her why she got ahead of herself.
'Why didn't you wait for any facts to come out on the Portland Border Patrol shooting before you put your statement out?' Melugin asked.
'I did not make a statement about the -' she started to say.
'You did,' Melugin interrupted. 'It's on Twitter.'
'No I made a statement. I did not say anything about whether or not those folks were rightfully -'
Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, a Democrat of Oregon, answers questions about the January 8 Border Patrol shooting in Portland. Dexter put out a statement before authorities tied the people who were shot to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang
Luis David Nino-Moncada (left) was driving the car that allegedly rammed a Border Patrol vehicle. Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras was in the passenger seat, per court records. Both illegal immigrants were eligible for arrest and deportation, according to authorities
Melugin cut her off again, pointing out that she said in her statement that ICE was terrorizing the community, despite the shooting involving Border Patrol agents.
Her full statement mentioned President Donald Trump twice and demanded 'full accountability and transparency'.
'Just one day after the horrific murder in Minneapolis,' Dexter said, 'I received reports that two people in my district were shot by federal immigration officials this afternoon in East Portland. Both individuals are alive, but we do not know the extent of their injuries.'
'ICE has done nothing but inject terror, chaos, and cruelty into our communities. Trump's immigration machine is using violence to control our communities - straight out of the authoritarian playbook. ICE must immediately end all active operations in Portland,' she continued.
'I will share more updates as they become available. I am demanding full accountability and transparency. I encourage our community to stay calm and show courage in this moment. We must allow our local law enforcement to do its work. There must be a comprehensive investigation without Trump's interference,' Dexter's statement concluded.
In her interaction with Melugin, the Fox reporter, Dexter argued that Nino-Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras were not afforded their right to due process.
According to court records, Nino-Moncada had been served a final order of removal by a Colorado immigration judge in November 2024, while Zambrano-Contreras was eligible to be arrested after entering the country illegally in September 2023.
Nino-Moncada was accused of frequently transporting Zambrano-Contreras around Portland so she could engage in prostitution, according to an FBI affidavit.
Pictured: The red Toyota Tacoma that was allegedly used by Nino-Moncada to ram a Border Patrol vehicle before fleeing the scene
Pictured: The damage to the Border Patrol vehicle that was repeatedly backed into by Nino-Moncada, according to the FBI
This alleged prostitution ring, which involved two other unnamed males, was discovered by local police in July after there was a shooting at a hotel where Zambrano-Contreras had allegedly got into a disagreement with customers, according to court documents.
Months later, on the afternoon of January 8, Border Patrol agents came across a red Toyota Tacoma being driven by Nino-Moncada. Zambrano-Contreras was in the passenger seat, according to the FBI.
After they initiated a traffic stop, Nino-Moncada allegedly reversed into a Border Patrol vehicle several times. Eventually, a Border Patrol agent fired into Nino-Moncada's truck.
After the shooting, court records indicate Nino-Moncada fled the scene and that Border Patrol agents did not follow them. At this point, Nino-Moncada had been shot in the arm, while Zambrano-Contreras had been hit in the chest.
Out of necessity, Nino-Moncada called 911 to get medical assistance for him and Zambrano-Contreras.
Once at the hospital, both of them were arrested and interviewed by FBI agents. According to the FBI affidavit, Nino-Moncada repeatedly said 'f*** ICE' and admitted he rammed the immigration enforcement vehicles in an attempt to escape.
