Key facts
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani compared a recent ICE shooting to a mass shooting.
- ICE agents shot and wounded Oscar Belgal, 28, in Marble Hill, Manhattan.
- Belgal's five-year-old child was in the car during the incident but was unharmed.
- Mamdani criticized ICE agents for wearing plainclothes, making them difficult to identify.
- The mayor stated that New York police would review the shooting.
- ICE arrests have reached record levels since early 2025.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew parallels between a recent shooting by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and a mass shooting incident, while also calling for the agency to cease operations in the city. The comments came after ICE agents shot and wounded Oscar Belgal, 28, during an enforcement operation in Marble Hill, Manhattan, on Thursday. Belgal's five-year-old child was in the vehicle at the time but was unharmed.
Mamdani, in a media interview, expressed concern over the plainclothes appearance of the ICE agents involved, stating that bystanders were unsure if they were law enforcement. He suggested that the agents' attire made them resemble "mass shooters" rather than representatives of a federal agency.
The mayor also criticized ICE's approach to law enforcement, asserting that agents "view the law as a suggestion." He contrasted this with New York police department policy, which generally prohibits officers from firing at individuals in vehicles.
Mamdani indicated he had spoken with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about the incident. He reiterated his stance that ICE has no place in New York City, despite Trump's "mass deportation agenda."
The New York police department will conduct a review of the shooting and its aftermath, which included street protests. Belgal had been booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after receiving hospital treatment for his injuries. He had been temporarily held at a privately run ICE facility in New Jersey.
According to an analysis, US immigration officers have shot at least two dozen people since Trump returned to office in early 2025, resulting in the deaths of three US citizens. The shooting occurred as ICE arrests have reached record levels, with the agency shifting from high-profile raids to quieter community dispatches.