Key facts
- ICE agents shot a 28-year-old man in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon.
- A 5-year-old boy was present in the vehicle during the shooting.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for a halt to all ICE enforcement actions in New York City.
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the ICE agents' actions.
- The man shot, Oscar Belgal, has a criminal history and is considered a flight risk.
- A federal judge issued a temporary order preventing Belgal's deportation or transfer outside the New York/New Jersey area.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who shot a man in New York City, pushing back against calls from Mayor Zohran Mamdani to halt all immigration enforcement in the city. The incident occurred Thursday afternoon in the Marble Hill section of northern Manhattan when ICE agents surrounded a car containing the 28-year-old man, identified as Oscar Belgal, and a 5-year-old boy.
Mamdani condemned the shooting, stating that federal officers fired multiple rounds into a car with a child inside and called for an end to all ICE enforcement actions in the city. He said he spoke with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in an unsuccessful effort to secure Belgal's release.
Mullin, however, defended the agents' actions, stating that Belgal refused orders to exit his vehicle and then accelerated, crashing into two ICE vehicles and driving toward other officers. Mullin asserted that the officers fired because they believed their lives and the lives of the public were in danger. He also criticized Mamdani, calling it "shameful" that the mayor would "put criminals over law-abiding citizens."
Belgal, a Dominican national, has a criminal history in New York, including charges of robbery, grand larceny, and theft while armed with a deadly weapon, and is considered a flight risk. ICE agents moved him to a detention facility outside New York City. However, a federal judge issued a temporary order on Friday preventing ICE from deporting Belgal or transferring him to a facility outside of New York or New Jersey. A second judge scheduled a hearing for his release.
Mullin also blamed New York's sanctuary policies for creating an environment for criminal activity, noting that the Trump administration had lodged 14,766 detainer requests with New York since January 2025.