New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has demanded that President Donald Trump halt all Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations within the city following an officer-involved shooting in the Bronx on Thursday. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. in the Marble Hill residential neighborhood, where federal agents injured a man during what police described as a targeted enforcement action.
“This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation,” Mamdani stated Thursday evening. “I have called the President; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities.”
According to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, federal agents were attempting to take 28-year-old Oscar Belgal into custody. Belgal was in a vehicle with a 5-year-old boy, believed to be his son, when plainclothes ICE agents approached the car with firearms drawn. Tisch reported that at least one agent fired seven rounds, striking Belgal in the neck below his left ear. The child remained uninjured but was traumatized by the event.
When NYPD officers arrived, they found Belgal handcuffed on the ground and immediately transported him to New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, where he remains in stable condition. The boy is now in the care of a family member.
Mamdani revealed that after a two-hour conversation with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, he failed to secure the release of the shooting victim. Despite a previously cordial relationship between the Democratic mayor and the Republican president, Mamdani maintained his firm stance against ICE, asserting that the agency “undermines public safety.”
The Department of Homeland Security defended the operation, blaming New York’s “sanctuary politicians” for forcing agents to conduct arrests in unpredictable environments. DHS described Belgal as a “criminal illegal” immigrant from the Dominican Republic with prior convictions for grand larceny and allegations of ties to the Trinitarios gang. They noted that Belgal had been arrested in December 2023 but released due to local policies.
However, city records indicate Belgal pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny in 2023, receiving five years of probation, and faces a pending charge for the criminal sale of a controlled substance from 2025.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also condemned the shooting, joining Mamdani in criticizing what she called a “rogue federal agency.” She demanded immediate answers from federal authorities.
The Bronx incident is the latest in a series of violent clashes involving immigration agents. Data from the New York Times and ABC News indicates more than 20 people have been shot and at least six killed in such incidents, including three U.S. citizens. Additionally, reports suggest that nearly half of all ICE arrests in New York State during the second Trump administration have taken place in the five boroughs of New York City.
Congressional leaders, including Rep. Ritchie Torres, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have expressed outrage. Schumer called for the release of body camera footage and an independent investigation, citing the danger posed to children present during enforcement actions.
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