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Good morning, Northwest.

The recording of a 911 call obtained by OPB details a tense confrontation in Portland between an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and a person he says was following him last fall.

OPB’s Troy Brynelson starts today’s newsletter looking into the incident in the context of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Also this morning, the Bureau of Land Management may issue new grazing permits on land near Steens Mountain in Eastern Oregon.

Here’s your First Look at Wednesday’s news.

—Bradley W. Parks

Armed ICE officer in Portland called 911 during confrontation: ‘I’m going to have to shoot this kid’

In October, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer grew frustrated by a “kid” tailing his unmarked Ford Explorer on a motorized bicycle. It was 3:30 p.m. in Northeast Portland.

As the two approached Northeast 82nd Avenue, the ICE officer opened the center console and pulled out his service weapon, he later told police. He told a 911 dispatcher to send local officers or else he would take matters into his own hands.

“I need someone here now, or else I’m going to have to shoot this kid,” said Israel D. Hernandez, according to a recording of his emergency call exclusively obtained by OPB.

The Oct. 31 incident was detailed both in Hernandez’s roughly 5-minute call to dispatchers and corroborated in a Portland Police Bureau report completed later that evening.

The exchange occurred during a tense period between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the city of Portland as the Trump administration had sharply ramped up its immigration enforcement last fall, and was attempting to deploy the National Guard to the city’s ICE facility. (Troy Brynelson)

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3 things to know this morning

• The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is proposing a plan that could eventually allow the ranchers whose return to prison sparked a 2016 standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to resume grazing cattle on federal lands. (Alejandro Figueroa)
• Vancouver City Council has approved financial support for struggling businesses in the city’s Fourth Plain corridor, known for its many immigrant- and BIPOC-owned businesses. (Erik Neumann)
• Two unions voted by identical margins — 94% — to authorize what would be their first strikes in the history of Portland Community College, Oregon’s largest higher education institution. (Rob Manning)

Headlines from around the Northwest

• Portland Public Schools faces midyear cuts due to just-discovered shortages (Elizabeth Miller)
• Oregon family hit with Trump’s latest deportation tactic: Targeting immigrants with minor court cases (Eli Hager)
• Judge rules initiative to diverrt Portland’s climate funds for police lacked clear language (Monica Samayoa)
• Oregon may have a real labor commissioner race on its hands (Dirk VanderHart)
• With new early education panel, Oregon charts a ‘path to universal preschool’ (Elizabeth Miller)
• House lawmakers pass lodging tax hike to fund Oregon wildlife (Bryce Dole)
• No officers hired so far with Washington’s new $100M grant program (Jake Goldstein-Street)
• Trail Blazers fall to Timberwolves 124-121 in physical contest (Associated Press)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• How college newspapers in Eugene, Corvallis and Portland are covering immigration, ICE protests and more
• From the Olympics to yoga class, UO professor reflects on trailblazing career designing sports products and apparel
• How AI is changing entry-level jobs in Oregon

Hood River art exhibit highlights local Black artists in immersive setting

A new art installation in Hood River invites visitors to relax on a couch, read poetry, listen to records, and spend time with each other in an environment completely dedicated to Black art and culture.

Just step inside the “Black Infinity House.”

Evelyn Charity and Stephanie Harris co-founded Black in the Gorge five years ago to build more community and opportunity between the few Black, biracial and multiracial people in Hood River.

The group’s latest project is “Black Infinity House,” a free art exhibit at the Columbia Center for the Arts that features work by more than 30 Black artists from Oregon in an array of different media, including photography, fabric, paintings, poetry and more.

The installation will remain on display until March 29. (Sukhjot Sal and Sheraz Sadiq)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/25/ice-officer-911-call-portland-first-look/