Protests in New York as US homeland security chief defends ICE shooting

Protests erupted in New York on Friday following an incident where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers shot and wounded a 28-year-old Dominican man, Oscar Bergal, in the Bronx. The shooting occurred during an ICE operation, with the child in Bergal's car sustaining no physical injuries. Mayor Zohran Mamdani swiftly condemned the shooting, writing "Abolish ICE" on X, a sentiment echoed by many in the political left opposed to the Republican president Donald Trump's immigration policies.

In response, US Homeland Security Chief Markwayne Mullin defended the officers, stating that Mamdani's words are "dangerous and incite hostility" and questioning who would enforce law and order without ICE. The incident has drawn criticism from New York, a Democratic stronghold where the city's police force is barred from assisting federal immigration enforcement.

Mamdani sought to speak with Trump and demanded the withdrawal of immigration agents from the city. Video footage shows a plainclothes federal agent approaching Bergal's silver car with a drawn gun, reversing, punching the driver's side window, and firing at the vehicle as it drives away, colliding with another car. ICE officials stated that Bergal had an extensive criminal history and was attempting to evade arrest, warning that he refused lawful orders to exit his vehicle and accelerated towards ICE officers, leading to the use of lethal force.

This incident adds to a series of high-profile shootings involving ICE agents this year, including the killing of a 23-year-old American in Texas and a Mexican man in Houston.