PORTLAND, Ore. — A routine night patrol over Portland skies turned dangerous last weekend when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter was struck by a laser beam, temporarily threatening the safety of the pilot and crew.
Federal officials say the laser originated from a Portland residence on the evening of September 27, 2025, while the helicopter was conducting law enforcement operations. The FBI Portland Division obtained a search warrant, and when agents raided the residence, they not only arrested the person believed to have aimed the laser, but also three additional men found inside.
FBI Portland & our federal partners @FPSDHS @HSISeattle searched a residence associated with a subject who is alleged to have aimed a laser at a @CBP helicopter conducting law enforcement activity in the skies over Portland, as well as another aircraft in the area on 9/27. pic.twitter.com/dqNUPgKaCM
— FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) September 29, 2025
All four were determined to be illegal aliens and taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Authorities identified the suspects as:
- Diogenes Albores-Suchiapa, previously arrested in Gresham for unlawful methamphetamine possession and criminal trespass, and stopped by CBP multiple times for immigration violations.
- Andres Brian Lopez-Labra, with a history of unlawful entry and a recent Oregon State Police DUI arrest.
- Benito Zamora-Alvarez, who has reportedly been living in the U.S. illegally since 1994.
- Hector Miranda Mendoza, also in the country illegally.
During the raid, agents recovered the laser device believed to have been used in the attack.
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Federal officials stressed the severity of the incident. “These four illegal aliens endangered the lives of our CBP personnel, the safety of every other aircraft in flight during the time and put everyone on the ground in immediate danger. DHS law enforcement is facing a 1,000% increase in attacks against them,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security.
The FBI Portland Division echoed that stance in a statement, adding: “The federal government will not tolerate violence against federal officers, nor will we tolerate assaults on personal, commercial, or government aircraft.”
Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is a federal crime for good reason. Pilots can be blinded in an instant, putting not just their lives but everyone below them at risk. In this case, one reckless decision exposed the public to unnecessary danger — and led to the removal of four men who were already in the country unlawfully.
For Portland, a city often in the national spotlight for clashes involving federal officers, the arrests are another reminder that reckless stunts don’t just end in headlines — they end in handcuffs.
Some comments from X:
If I were an illegal alien doing illegal alien stuff, pointing a laser at a helicopter would be so far down my list of illegal alien things to do list, it isn't even funny. 😅🤡
— Piper (@PiperSebring) October 1, 2025
Yes, it’s true. Imagine flashing a laser at a CBP chopper in Portland, Oregon while not even from this country. Then comes the knock at the door… FBI raid. Laser recovered. Four in custody. 😏 pic.twitter.com/039sMMX0th
— Desiree (@DesireeAmerica4) September 30, 2025
