The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) shooting of a man in New York City while his child was present. The incident, which occurred on Thursday afternoon, has prompted protests in the city, with New York officials condemning the shooting and calling for ICE to cease its operations in the area.
According to DHS officials, the shooting involved a man identified by New York City police as Oscar Belgal. Officials stated that Belgal refused to exit his vehicle when approached by ICE officers and then accelerated, striking two ICE vehicles. Officers then opened fire, grazing Belgal’s neck while his five-year-old child was in the back seat.
Belgal received first aid and was taken to a hospital before being transferred to a secure detention facility outside New York state. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that the agents were unaware that the child was inside the vehicle at the time of the shooting.
ICE senior official Marcos Charles noted that the attempted arrest was part of an investigation into suspected gang involvement in an earlier shooting of a US Customs and Border Protection officer. Belgal is reported to be an undocumented migrant from the Dominican Republic with a prior conviction for grand larceny.
Mullin described Belgal as "the absolute worst of the worst" during a news conference. He confirmed that officers were wearing body cameras, but the footage has not been released to the public. New York City police released bodycam footage of their officers responding to the incident.
The shooting has led to protests in the Bronx, where demonstrators condemned ICE and called for the agency's abolition. Tensions escalated as NYPD officers clashed with some protesters. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the shooting and stated he had contacted US President Donald Trump to demand an end to ICE enforcement in the city. Mamdani expressed that these actions are making the city less safe and described ICE as "rotten to its core."
Mullin countered that Mamdani was prioritizing politics over public safety and mentioned that Trump had offered to transfer Belgal to New York police custody if they pursued charges, which Mamdani reportedly refused.