‘F*** ICE’: Venezuelan illegal alien shot by Border Patrol in Portland now faces federal charges
A Venezuelan illegal alien and suspected Tren de Aragua gang member who was shot by a Border Patrol agent in Portland, Oregon, after allegedly ramming an undercover government car on Thursday is now facing criminal charges by the U.S. Justice Department.
Luis Nino-Moncada, 33, is charged with aggravated assault of a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon and depredation of federal property in excess of $1,000.
“Anyone who crosses the red line of assaulting law enforcement will be met with the full force of this Justice Department,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday.
“According to a newly unsealed complaint, Luis Nino-Moncada – an illegal alien in Portland, Oregon with ties to Tren de Aragua – is alleged to have repeatedly rammed a Border Patrol vehicle, threatening the lives of federal law enforcement officers.
“He should NEVER have been in our country to begin with, and we will ensure he NEVER walks free in America again.”
Anyone who crosses the red line of assaulting law enforcement will be met with the full force of this Justice Department.
According to a newly unsealed complaint, Luis Nino-Moncada — an illegal alien in Portland, Oregon with ties to Tren de Aragua — is alleged to have repeatedly… pic.twitter.com/uC6rk4Uode
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 12, 2026
Bill Melugin of Fox News reports Moncada “said he knew they were immigration agents, and said ‘f*** ICE’ while having a tourniquet applied to his gunshot wound by medics.”
“According to the criminal complaint, the actual target of Border Patrol’s operation was MONCADA’s female associate, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, a Venezuelan illegal alien and suspected TdA associate who was caught and released at the Texas border by the Biden administration in September 2023. She was ordered to check in at an ICE officer after release, but never did, making her subject to immigration arrest. DOJ says she is also believed to be involved with a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring, and was connected to a July 2025 shooting in Washington County during a prostitution deal that went bad.
BREAKING: DOJ has just charged the Venezuelan illegal alien shot by Border Patrol in Portland on Thursday with 18 USC 111 (aggravated assault of a federal officer w/ a deadly weapon), and they’ve provided photos of the badly damaged BP vehicle they say he rammed several times… pic.twitter.com/3Ciy1EZd35
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 12, 2026
“FOX is told that Zambrano-Contreras is also now in federal custody, and is being charged by DOJ in the Western District of Texas with 8 USC 1325, illegal entry by an alien (yes, crossing the border illegally is a federal crime).”
The federal charging document indicates six federal agents were present during the shooting at a hospital parking lot, and no video has surfaced of the gunfire or what led up to it.
“There is no body worn camera footage from the involved six Border Patrol Agents capturing the above-described events. Investigators have scoured the area and social media in an effort to find surveillance footage, but to no avail,” wrote FBI Special Agent Daniel Jeffreys in the complaint.
“The fixed surveillance cameras in the area of this parking lot, according to the business, did not capture footage of this event.”
Both Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras have been released from the hospital and are in federal custody.
Last week, as WorldNetDaily reported, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security fired back after a CNN anchor claimed it was “a married couple” that was shot by Border Patrol.
“REVOLTING LIES!” DHS exclaimed. “The two criminal illegal aliens who attacked Border Patrol in Portland are a gang member and his prostitute NOT an innocent ‘married couple.’ The driver of the vehicle, Luis David Nico Moncada is a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and suspected Tren de Aragua GANG MEMBER.
REVOLTING LIES!
The two criminal illegal aliens who attacked Border Patrol in Portland are a gang member and his prostitute NOT an innocent “married couple.”
The driver of the vehicle, Luis David Nico Moncada is a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and suspected Tren de… pic.twitter.com/XfwfBtoU75
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 9, 2026
“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.”
Follow Joe on X @JoeKovacsNews
‘REVOLTING LIES!’ DHS sets CNN straight about ‘married couple’ shot in Portland