The Department of Justice on Monday announced charges against Luis Nino-Moncada, an illegal migrant and known Tren de Aragua associate who allegedly rammed his truck into an unoccupied U.S. Border Patrol vehicle in Portland on Thursday before being shot by a federal agent.
"Anyone who crosses the red line of assaulting law enforcement will be met with the full force of this Justice Department," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X.
"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," she added.
Nino-Moncada has been charged with aggravated assault of a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon and depredation of federal property in excess of $1,000.
He is scheduled to make his initial appearance Monday afternoon.
The DOJ said Nino-Moncada, in an interview following the incident, "admitted to intentionally ramming the Border Patrol vehicle in an attempt to flee and stated that he knew it was an immigration enforcement vehicle."
DHS also said the vehicle's passenger was "a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring" who was involved in a recent shooting in the city.
President Donald Trump and his allies have consistently blamed the Tren de Aragua gang for being at the root of violence and drug dealing in some U.S. cities.
When agents identified themselves to the occupants during a "targeted vehicle stop" Thursday afternoon, the driver tried to run them over, the department said in a statement.
"Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot," it said. "The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene."
The Portland shooting escalates tensions in a city that has long had a contentious relationship with Trump, including due to his recent failed effort to deploy Guard troops there.
The city experienced long-running nightly protests outside the ICE building.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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