US immigration chiefs defend shooting of New York man, attack ’sanctuary’ policies

On October 9, US immigration officials defended the actions of federal agents who shot and wounded a New York City man, Oscar Belgal, during an encounter in his car with his young child in the backseat. The incident occurred in Marble Hill, Manhattan's northernmost neighborhood, on Thursday afternoon. US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that the officers were unaware of the child's presence until they opened fire.

Belgal, a Dominican citizen in the country illegally, was accused of endangering the officers and the child by not exiting his vehicle when approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Before this incident, federal immigration officers had shot at least 21 people, killing seven of them, since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, aiming to deport record numbers of immigrants. Marcos Charles, a senior ICE official, claimed that Belgal accelerated his car, striking two ICE vehicles before appearing to head towards the officers when they began shooting.

However, Reuters was unable to verify Charles' account due to initial contradictions between ICE and DHS accounts, and the lack of verifiable evidence.

Belgal suffered a minor neck wound and is currently held in a detention facility outside New York state. A three-minute body-worn camera video released by the New York Police Department showed Belgal sitting by his car with his hands cuffed behind him, surrounded by agents and a crowd of onlookers. City officials, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, condemned the shooting, calling ICE operations "rotten to the core" and a source of chaos and terror across the country.

Mamdani, a fellow immigrant, attempted to secure Belgal's release but was unsuccessful. Public defenders representing Belgal also condemned the shooting, urging city prosecutors to investigate the agents involved in the incident.