A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer called 911 in October during a confrontation in Northeast Portland, telling a dispatcher he might have to shoot a young man who was following his vehicle.
According to a recording of the Oct. 31 call and a subsequent police report, Israel D. Hernandez, an officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said a person on a motorized bicycle was tailing his unmarked Ford Explorer around 3:30 p.m.
As the vehicles approached Northeast 82nd Avenue, Hernandez told dispatchers he had retrieved his service weapon from the center console of his SUV.
“I need someone here now, or else I’m going to have to shoot this kid,” Hernandez said on the call.
He did not fire his weapon. The person he described as being in their late teens or early 20s eventually fled. The individual was not identified in police records.
A report filed by the Portland Police Bureau later that evening corroborated the basic sequence of events described in the call.
Hernandez told officers the person may have seen “gear with U.S. Immigration and Customs identification” inside his vehicle. He initially thought the person was asking for money and waved him away. According to the police report, the individual began yelling about ICE and punched the SUV’s window, allegedly breaking a side-view mirror.
When a dispatcher asked why someone would punch his window, Hernandez replied: “Well, because I work for ICE, I guess.”
The responding officer wrote there was probable cause for misdemeanor charges of second-degree criminal mischief and second-degree disorderly conduct against an unidentified suspect.
During the call, Hernandez provided cross streets including Northeast 82nd Avenue and Northeast Prescott Street. At one point, he told dispatchers, “I’m going to have to act on this kid right now,” as shouting could be heard in the background.
The dispatcher urged him to drive to a populated area and avoid escalating the situation. Hernandez acknowledged he planned to exit his vehicle, prompting the dispatcher to respond: “Why? You can drive away. We have officers en route to you.”
The call continued for several minutes before disconnecting. Records indicate the first Portland police officer arrived around 4 p.m.
The incident occurred during a period of heightened tensions between federal immigration authorities and the city of Portland, as the Department of Homeland Security had increased immigration enforcement efforts in the region.
Officials with DHS did not respond to questions about whether they were aware of the incident or Hernandez’s current status. A spokesperson for Portland police declined to comment on specifics but reiterated that while the bureau maintains contact with federal agencies, it does not participate in immigration enforcement.
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