The Department of Homeland Security has published the names and mugshots of two Venezuelan nationals tied to Tren de Aragua who were shot by a Border Patrol agent in Portland, triggering protests, accusations against federal law enforcement, and political backlash in the city.
The release identifies the driver as David Nico Moncada and the passenger as Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, both described by authorities as connected to Tren de Aragua. DHS says the traffic stop focused on Zambrano-Contreras and that the agent fired when Moncada reportedly attempted to strike the agent with his vehicle. Local reactions were immediate and intense, with activist groups and some elected officials demanding that federal immigration enforcement leave Oregon.
Officials accuse Moncada of a criminal history that includes illegal entry, DUI, and unauthorized use of a vehicle, along with a final order of removal. Zambrano-Contreras is alleged to have links to a prostitution ring and involvement in a prior Portland shooting, according to the government narrative. Those allegations, combined with the violent nature of the traffic stop, escalated the situation and drew national attention to the presence of Tren de Aragua members in U.S. cities.
Yesterday, two suspected Tren de Aragua gang associates—let loose on American streets by Joe Biden—weaponized their vehicle against Border Patrol in Portland. The agent took immediate action to defend himself and others, shooting them.
The driver of the vehicle, Luis David Nico Moncada is a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and suspected Tren de Aragua gang member. He illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration. Since then, he was arrested for DUI and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He has a final order of removal.
The passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras is a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and is associated with Tren de Aragua. She illegally entered the U.S. in 2023 near El Paso, Texas, and was RELEASED into this country by the Biden administration. Since illegally entering, Contreras played an active role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved with a prior shooting in Portland.
After the shooting, activist groups and local critics descended on the scene, complicating emergency response and sparking clashes with officers trying to secure the area. Authorities say the photo and 911 information were leaked from a local first responder to an anti-ICE group, which then mobilized protests. Those developments added a new layer of controversy about confidentiality and the safety of responders and law enforcement.
Ngo scoop: Information about the Border Patrol shooting in Portland involving Tren de Aragua suspects was leaked from an internal city source to an extremist far-left group called PDX ICE Watch. They then mobilized rioters to the scene.
ICE Watch claimed it was a 911 dispatcher source that gave them the photo but that was a lie to throw off the real source. The photo was taken inside a first responder vehicle. According to sourcing, it was not a Portland Police in-car computer system. It could be from the .@PDXStResponse .@PDXFire.@MultCoSO, an ambulance driver or another first responder in the county.
The leak to an extremist group by a first responder raises questions about safety. Imagine if you were calling 911 about being a victim of violence by an illegal foreign national and first responders leaked that information to a far-left group so that the assailant could be protected?
Leaked materials clearly inflamed on-the-ground tensions and prompted a rapid response from organizers who brought crowds to the accident site. Protesters and counter-protesters interfered with first responders and complicated efforts to investigate what happened. City leaders faced criticism for not preventing the chaotic crowding and for their public statements about federal agents.
Federal prosecutors have been working to dismantle Tren de Aragua networks for months and recently unsealed indictments naming more than 70 people in a sweeping multi-state crackdown. The charges described in government filings include murder, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, and controlled substance trafficking. The Justice Department framed the efforts as part of a broader push to disrupt transnational criminal groups operating in the U.S.
Since January 20, 2025, the Department has federally indicted over 260 members of TdA.
“Immediately upon taking office, I directed the Department of Justice to fiercely pursue the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This latest multi-state series of charges underscores the Trump Administration’s unwavering commitment to restoring public safety, dismantling violent trafficking networks, and ridding our country of Tren de Aragua terrorists.”
“Tren de Aragua is a terrorist cartel that exploits our borders to bring murder, drugs, and chaos into American communities,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This Department is crushing their leadership, dismantling their networks, and cutting off their money across the United States. There will be no safe haven here. If you cross our border to commit violent crime, we will find you, prosecute you, and put you away.”
That federal account is being used by critics to argue that Portland officials have put political theater ahead of public safety by attacking federal agents instead of backing their efforts to remove criminal foreign nationals. Those critics say the rhetoric from local leaders has encouraged a permissive environment where violent transnational criminals can operate in U.S. cities. The dispute highlights a larger national fight over immigration enforcement and local-federal roles.
Media outlets are also part of the clash, with some narratives attempting to humanize the suspects while others focus on alleged criminal histories and federal indictments. The result is a polarized public conversation in which facts from law enforcement, leaks from inside city agencies, and political posturing all feed competing versions of the same incident. At stake are questions about who is protected in American communities and how authorities should balance civil liberties with public safety.
You cannot make this stuff up.
Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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