State GOP Leaders Condemn Public Officials’ Comments Following Portland ICE Shootings – KXL

YAMHILL COUNTY, OR – Top Oregon Republican lawmakers are pushing back against criticism from Democratic leaders following a recent federal law enforcement operation in Portland involving suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr of Dundee and House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer of McMinnville issued a joint statement responding to the incident, which federal authorities have described as a targeted operation involving a transnational criminal organization linked to drug trafficking, sex trafficking and violent crime.

According to the statement, federal officials said the encounter escalated when the driver of a vehicle allegedly used it as a weapon after agents identified themselves, forcing an officer to make what Republicans characterized as a split-second, defensive decision.

“That is not ‘federal violence against Portlanders,’ as legislative Democrats have suggested,” Starr and Elmer said in the statement. “That is law enforcement attempting to remove dangerous gang members from our streets, turned into a life-threatening situation.”

The Republican leaders said they support law enforcement at all levels and accused Democratic officials of politicizing an active investigation. They criticized rhetoric suggesting federal agents were acting as “secret police,” calling such language “reckless and dangerous.”

“It is deeply irresponsible for elected officials to immediately politicize an active investigation, delegitimize law enforcement, and inflame fear at a moment when clarity and calm are needed most,” according to the statement.

Starr and Elmer acknowledged that an investigation into the incident is ongoing and said transparency is important, but emphasized that officers acting in defense of life deserve public support.

“Violent criminal organizations do not stop at city limits, state lines, or political narratives,” they said. “When officers are forced to act in defense of life, they deserve support, not condemnation.”

The statement concluded with a warning to organized criminal groups operating in Oregon and a call for elected officials to lower the political temperature surrounding the incident.

“Criminals operating in Oregon should be on notice: the days of freely exploiting our communities are over,” the leaders said, urging politicians to start standing with law enforcement instead of siding with violent criminals for political gain.

The Independent Party of Oregon pushed back on the statement by the two Republican leaders, calling it a misleading and incomplete frame that does a disservice to the public, to law enforcement, and to the rule of law in America.

“No one disputes that law enforcement work is dangerous or that violent criminal organizations exist,” said IPO Secretary Sal Peralta. “The issue is whether the use of force by federal agents is being held to the same standards that govern local police and sheriffs across the country.”