Mamdani Urges Trump to Halt NYC ICE Operations After Shooting, DHS Defends Officers/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged President Donald Trump to stop immigration enforcement operations in the city after an ICE officer shot a man traveling with a 5-year-old boy. DHS officials defended the shooting Friday, alleging Oscar Belgal refused orders, struck government vehicles and drove toward officers. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticized Mamdani’s response and blamed sanctuary policies for undermining public safety.
Quick Look
- Shooting: Officials say a federal immigration officer shot a Dominican man in the neck Thursday afternoon.
- Mayor’s demand: Mamdani pressed Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to release the wounded man and halt city immigration operations.
- Federal account: ICE official Marcos Charles alleged Belgal accelerated into government vehicles and toward officers.
- Political dispute: Mullin accused Mamdani of using rhetoric that encourages hostility.
- Sanctuary policies: DHS renewed criticism of local limits on cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
- Separate development: Trump said U.S. strikes on Iran would not resume before the Nov. 3 midterms.
Deep Look
Mamdani Calls for Halt to Immigration Operations After Shooting
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani demanded an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city after an officer shot a Dominican man in the neck Thursday afternoon.
Officials said the man was driving with a 5-year-old boy in the car.
Mamdani described the shooting as an outrage and said he spent two hours Thursday night pressing President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to release the wounded man.
The mayor also urged both officials to stop immigration operations in New York.
Thursday night, Mamdani called ICE “rotten to its core” and said he saw no justification for the shooting.
Mamdani Condemns Shooting and Questions Officers’ Identification
DHS described Belgal as a “criminal illegal alien” with a grand larceny conviction and other arrests.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the shooting and said the officers surrounding the vehicle wore construction vests and masks, making their identities difficult to determine.
“There is no justification for what we have seen today,” Mamdani said.
ICE Official Alleges Driver Refused Orders and Accelerated
At a Friday news conference, Marcos Charles, who heads ICE’s enforcement and removal operations division, offered the agency’s account of the encounter.
Charles said officers attempted to arrest Oscar Belgal and used government vehicles to block his car.
He alleged Belgal “refused to exit his vehicle” before accelerating, striking two government vehicles and moving toward officers.
Charles said those actions prompted officers to fire.
Those statements represent the federal agency’s account of what led to the shooting.
Mullin Criticizes Mamdani’s Response
Mullin devoted much of Friday’s news conference to criticizing Mamdani’s opposition to ICE and his condemnation of the shooting.
“Well, mayor, if you abolish ICE, who’s going to take criminals off the streets of your own town?” Mullin said. “The mayor speaks with political tone. His words are dangerous and incite hostility. It doesn’t help.”
The exchange intensified the dispute between city leadership and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement and public safety.
Mullin devoted much of his remarks to criticizing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city’s approach to immigration enforcement.
“Sanctuary politicians, they create an environment for criminal activity to thrive, not for the American citizens to be safe,” he said.
Mullin said ICE had requested more than 14,000 detainers in New York state for people in local custody whom the agency sought to deport.
“Silence. Absolute silence is what we have gotten back,” he said. “Why would they release these individuals back onto the streets?”
He defended the agency’s enforcement work.
“We’re enforcing our nation’s laws. We’re not picking and choosing,” Mullin continued. “Why is that controversial? We should all want law and order on our streets.”
DHS Renews Criticism of Sanctuary Policies
Mullin also defended the administration’s criticism of jurisdictions that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Although there is no universally accepted definition of a sanctuary jurisdiction, the term generally applies to state and local governments that limit such cooperation.
Sanctuary politicians and cities “create an environment for criminal activity to thrive, not for the American citizens to be safe,” Mullin said.
His remarks came as the administration faced backlash over Thursday’s shooting.
ICE Says Officers Believed Their Lives Were in Danger
Marcos Charles presented the agency’s account at a Washington news conference alongside Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and other immigration officials.
The event was intended to “highlight the dangerous consequences of sanctuary city policies.”
New York City police identified the wounded man as Oscar Belgal, 28. Officials said he was shot in the neck Thursday while driving with a 5-year-old boy inside his car.
Officials Allege Belgal Accelerated Toward Officers
Charles said officers used vehicles to block Belgal as he attempted to drive away.
He alleged that Belgal instead accelerated toward officers and struck some of their vehicles.
Charles described the neck wound as “superficially” sustained during the arrest attempt.
Mullin said ICE officers did not know a child was in the vehicle, while Belgal “was aware” and nevertheless chose to evade them.
These statements represent the federal officials’ account of the encounter.
ICE Cites Detainer and Alleged Gang Association
Charles said ICE had issued a detainer for Belgal.
He also alleged that Belgal associated with a gang known for thefts involving weapons and mopeds.
Protesters and local officials have condemned the shooting, describing it as evidence of the dangers posed by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
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