NYC mayor Mamdani calls ICE ‘rotten to its core’ after agents shoot at car with 5-year-old inside

NYC mayor Mamdani calls ICE ‘rotten to its core’ after agents shoot at car with 5-year-old inside Mamdani blasted the shooting, which took place on a residential street as New Yorkers were coming home from work and children were walking back from school - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “rotten to its core” and called for its abolition after federal agents shot seven rounds at a car with a 5-year-old inside. The shooting took place Thursday around 4 p.m. on a residential street in the city’s Marble Hill neighborhood as commuters were coming home from work and children were walking back from school. Mamdani and police commissioner Jessica Tisch shared more details about the incident at a tense press conference Thursday night. Tisch identified the man as Oscar Belgal, 28, who was shot in the neck by at least one ICE agent who fired seven rounds at the car while the child was inside. The child was unharmed and being cared for by a family member, Tisch said. Mamdani addressed New Yorkers “not just as the mayor of our city, but as someone who is proud to be an immigrant in our city.” “Tonight, a 5-year-old child sits traumatized and terrified,” the mayor said as protesters chanted in the background. “Tonight, millions of our neighbors are wondering whether they will be safe on our streets, in our schools, at their work sites…Tonight, New Yorkers across the five boroughs are asking whether their civil liberties will be respected, whether law and order is supposed to look like a man carrying a long gun wearing a mask.” “We know that ICE is rotten to its core,” he added. Mamdani said that he had spoken to President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to negotiate the release of Belgal, but was “unsuccessful.” The mayor said that “ICE put the man in an unmarked vehicle and whisked him away.” The Department of Homeland Security, who did not name the man in their statement, claimed that he was a “criminal illegal alien” from the Dominican Republic “with a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny, and multiple prior arrests for assault, robbery, possession of drugs, and weapons possession.” “This criminal illegal alien was arrested by the NYPD on December 7, 2023, but was released into the community a few days later by reckless Democrat sanctuary policies that put American lives at risk,” the statement continued. “During the incident, an ICE officer discharged his weapon and the criminal illegal alien was injured.” Footage from bystanders at the scene captured the man being held on the ground by an agent dressed in grey. He was bleeding from the neck but was sitting upright. The department did not specify what prompted the officer to fire his weapon and alleged that Belgal has ties to the Trinitarios gang. Tisch said that Belgal was convicted of grand larceny in 2023 and received five years' probation, and has a drug case pending. The police commissioner stressed that the NYPD “had no involvement in the federal operation prior to the shooting, and no members of the NYPD were on scene at the time of the shooting.” Under the city’s sanctuary policies, New York City authorities are limited in cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul joined Mamdani in condemning ICE. “By the Grace of God, that child appears to have escaped without physical injury,” she said in a statement. “I expressed outrage on behalf of New Yorkers and urged them to halt ICE enforcement operations in New York.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments