A man who was shot and wounded by a United States Border Patrol agent during an immigration enforcement operation in Portland, Oregon, has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of assaulting a federal officer.
Court Proceedings and Charges
Luis David Nino-Moncada appeared via his public defender in the U.S. District Court on Wednesday, 14 January 2026. He pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault on a federal employee and damaging federal property. These charges were formally brought against him in an indictment on Tuesday.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman has scheduled a five-day jury trial to begin in March. Nino-Moncada remains in custody, with a hearing concerning his potential release set for the following week.
Details of the Portland Shooting Incident
The shooting occurred last week during an immigration stop in the car park of a medical complex. According to federal investigators, Border Patrol agents stated that Nino-Moncada put his pickup truck into reverse and repeatedly rammed an unoccupied rental car being used by the agents.
The collision smashed the car's headlights and dislodged its front bumper. In an affidavit, FBI Special Agent Daniel Jeffreys wrote that Nino-Moncada used the vehicle as a weapon, prompting agents to fear for their safety and that of the public. One agent subsequently opened fire, wounding both Nino-Moncada and his passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras.
Gang Affiliations and Wider Context
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stated that both individuals entered the country illegally and have affiliations with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Portland Police Chief Bob Day confirmed a "some nexus" to the gang, noting they had come to police attention during an investigation into a July shooting believed to be gang-related, though they were not suspects.
Chief Day also revealed that Zambrano-Contreras had a prior arrest for prostitution, and Nino-Moncada was present during a search warrant execution in that case. Zambrano-Contreras is now detained at a private immigration facility in Tacoma, Washington, facing a separate charge of illegal entry filed by federal prosecutors in Texas.
The FBI has reported that no surveillance or other video footage of the shooting has been recovered. This incident, occurring just one day after a federal agent fatally shot a driver in Minneapolis, has sparked protests concerning the aggressive tactics sometimes employed during immigration enforcement operations.
