Portland Police Chief Bob Day became visibly emotional during a strange Friday press briefing as he said he didn’t want to “victim shame” two individuals with ties to the violent gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) because they were shot by federal officers.
Day told reporters, “They do have some nexus to involvement with TdA, we can confirm that … and what I can say is that there is an association with the two folks from yesterday and TdA.”
He explained that he was conflicted about releasing the information, adding, “I hesitated to even share this information initially because I’m very aware of the historic injustice of victim blaming often times portrayed by law enforcement, including this very agency that I’ve represented so proudly for so many years, and historically we have not been quick to disclose the potential criminal history of others.”
While fighting back tears, Day addressed members of the Latino community, saying, “I want to speak for just a moment specifically to my Latino community.” After pausing, he continued, “It saddens me that we even have to qualify these remarks because I understand, or at least have attempted to understand, through your voices, your concern, your fear, your anger.”
As he wiped away tears, Day stressed, “This information in no way is meant to disparage or to condone or support or agree with any of the actions that occurred yesterday.”
The Department of Homeland Security pushed back on how the incident was characterized by some media outlets. In a statement posted Friday on X, DHS said that “two criminal illegal aliens who attacked Border Patrol in Portland are a gang member and his prostitute, NOT an innocent ‘married couple.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation reports that the agency was responding to ABC 17 News, which had shared a CNN story on X describing the pair as federal agents having “left a married couple wounded in Portland.”