US immigration officials defend ICE agents who shot man in same car as child

On Thursday, immigration officials defended the actions of officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency who shot and wounded a man in his car in New York while his five-year-old son was in the backseat. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that the officers fired their weapons while attempting to arrest Oscar Belgal, who had a criminal history.

Mullin claimed that he and his team were unaware of the child's presence in the vehicle and argued that the man had endangered his child by putting him in danger. Belgal is currently held in a detention facility. The legal representatives for Belgal stated that his lawyers have not yet had an opportunity to speak with him.

The incident occurred in the Marble Hill neighborhood of New York. ICE officials Marcos Charles stated that agents used their vehicles to try to stop Belgal, but he resisted orders to exit the vehicle, accelerating and smashing into two ICE vehicles instead. Charles mentioned that Belgal then "weaponized" his vehicle and accelerated towards other officers, at which point his officers used their training and fired in self-defense. The exact number of officers who discharged their weapons is under investigation.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the situation "unconscionable and incredibly serious," stating that the ICE agents surrounded Belgal's car before opening fire, wearing construction vests and masks that concealed their identities. He confirmed that the child was not harmed. ICE has not released video footage of the shooting, but unverified social media videos seem to support Mamdani's account.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) officers who responded to the incident released footage showing their arrival, assistance to Belgal, and his transportation to the hospital.

Mamdani had discussions with President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Mullin for two hours, but was unable to secure Belgal's release. Mamdani has requested that Trump end ICE enforcement actions in New York. DHS maintains that Belgal, a 28-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny and multiple prior arrests for assault, robbery, possession of drugs, and weapons possession.

He was arrested in December 2023, released a few days later, and has a pending case for criminal sale of a controlled substance in 2025. Additionally, DHS alleges that Belgal was associated with the Trinitarios, a transnational criminal group. Mullin stated that ICE believes Belgal either had indirect or direct knowledge of a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer's shooting, which is why he became the target.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that there is still a pending case against Belgal for criminal sale of a controlled substance in 2025.