Mamdani says Trump agrees to grant visa to mother of teen from Ghana killed in Bronx shooting

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Saturday that President Donald Trump has agreed to grant a visa to the mother of a 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant, Javits Frimpong, who was fatally shot in the Bronx. The White House has not yet confirmed this information via email. Javits was shot in the abdomen as he was heading to school in a Bronx neighborhood around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, and he was pronounced dead at a hospital later that day. No arrests have been made, and the incident is still under investigation.

Mamdani expressed his condolences in a social media post, stating that the mother deserves to say goodbye to her son in person. He emphasized the tragedy of the event, noting that Javits's mother had traveled thousands of miles away to be with her son and now faces the unbearable loss of not being able to do so.

Frimpong had arrived in the Bronx from Ghana a year ago to live with his father and start a new life in the United States, as reported by US Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from the Bronx. Frimpong was on his way to school when the shooting occurred, according to Torres, who emphasized the community's mourning for the young man who had his entire future ahead of him.

The teen's father, Thomas Frimpong, described his son as a quiet teenager who spent much of his time on his cellphone. Thomas revealed that his son had recently been bullied at school, with the principal informing him about the issue. Despite the bullying, Thomas claimed that his son maintained that he was fine. Ghanaian Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa stated on X that Ghanaian officials in New York are working with local authorities to secure justice in the case.

Trump has recently tightened immigration policies during his second term, including suspending visa processing from 75 countries.