DHS Secretary Mullin Criticizes Governor Hochul for Response to NYPD Officer Stabbing

Homeland Security Director Markwayne Mullin criticized New York Governor Kathy Hochul for her response to the shooting of a suspect by ICE, stating that she did not address the stabbing of an NYPD officer by illegal immigrants. Mullin accused Hochul of hypocrisy for suggesting that federal agents were terrorizing the state after Oscar Belga was shot during an attempted arrest in the Bronx. He pointed out that Hochul and other politicians did not comment on the stabbing of off-duty NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes, who was attacked in the same neighborhood. Mullin highlighted that both Belga and the suspects in Mercedes' stabbing, Dangelo Rafael Jean Caraballo and Sneider Mejia Bautista, were from the Dominican Republic and had extensive criminal records. He expressed concern over the lack of public outcry regarding the officer's stabbing compared to the protests following Belga's shooting. Hochul had previously accused ICE of causing chaos and terror in neighborhoods after an incident involving agents firing into a vehicle with a child present. In response to Mullin's comments, a spokesperson for Hochul stated that the governor respects the NYPD and is focused on supporting law enforcement through funding and legislation rather than politicizing incidents.