DHS Responds to Media Coverage of Portland Shooting
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken issue with several news organizations for their sympathetic portrayal of two undocumented immigrants shot and killed by federal agents in Portland on Thursday.
A recent article shared by KPFQ annoyed DHS, as it described the immigrants merely as a “couple.” This piece originated from CNN, which also faced backlash from the DHS.
The two individuals were shot during an operation carried out by U.S. Border Patrol agents. DHS stated the immigrants were connected to a violent gang known as Torren de Aragua. According to their account, the driver hit an officer with the car before being shot, leading to both of them being hospitalized.
On Friday, DHS criticized CNN for continuing to describe the pair as a “husband and wife,” while minimizing the implications of gang involvement. They labeled it “an abhorrent lie” in response to the CNN report.
DHS clarified that these individuals were more accurately described as gang members and suggested they were involved in illegal activities rather than being seen as an “innocent” couple.
The driver, identified as Luis David Nico Moncada, was characterized by DHS as a “criminal illegal alien” from Venezuela with ties to Torren de Aragua. He entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was released by the current administration. Moncada has a history of being arrested for drunk driving and unauthorized vehicle use.
The passenger, named Yorlenis Bezabeth Zambrano Contreras, was also noted to have prior involvement in shootings and was linked to the gang and a prostitution ring, according to DHS.
Following similar criticism, KQFX-TV aired the CNN report and faced reprimands from the DHS.
In protest of the shooting, hundreds of activists gathered at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland on Friday, leading to six arrests by local police.
This incident occurred merely a day after a contentious shooting involving another woman in Minneapolis, who, like Moncada, had also reportedly attempted to strike an officer with her vehicle.
