ICE shooting in New York: US officials defend agents who shot Oscar Belgal with child in car

Federal immigration officials have defended the shooting of a 28-year-old man in New York, which occurred while his five-year-old son was sitting in the back seat of his car.

Oscar Belgal was shot in the neck on Thursday afternoon in the Marble Hill neighbourhood of the Bronx. The incident has sparked intense local protests, clashes with police, and a fierce political row over the tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

What happened in Marble Hill

According to federal authorities, ICE agents were attempting to arrest Mr Belgal when the situation escalated. Marcos Charles, a senior ICE official, said Mr Belgal refused orders to exit his vehicle, rammed two tactical cars, and accelerated towards officers.

"Our officers, using their training, and believing that their life and the life of their partners in the general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons," Mr Charles said. Mr Belgal was struck superficially in the neck.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who visited the scene, gave a different account of the atmosphere. He said the agents wore construction vests and face masks, making it impossible for Mr Belgal to know who they were.

"They wore construction vests and masks that concealed their faces. There is no reasonable way to identify them as ICE agents," Mr Mamdani said. NYPD body-camera footage showed local police officers rushing Mr Belgal to hospital, where he was treated before being moved to an ICE detention facility.

Political backlash and the Target controversy

The shooting has reignited calls from left-wing Democrats to dismantle the agency entirely. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called ICE a "rogue, lawless and paramilitary surveillance agency" that has no place in New York.

She also targeted the retail giant Target, accusing the company of allowing immigration agents to use its parking lots as staging grounds for arrest operations. Target quickly distanced itself from the operation, releasing a statement confirming it was not working with ICE.

Both Mayor Mamdani and New York Governor Kathy Hochul said they spoke directly to President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to demand a halt to ICE operations in the city. Mr Mullin flatly rejected the request.

"No, we are not putting a pause on enforcement," Mr Mullin told reporters, criticising New York’s "sanctuary" laws that limit local police cooperation with federal immigration agents. He admitted officers did not know the child was in the vehicle but argued that Mr Belgal was the one who put his son in harm's way.

Why ICE targeted Belgal

The Department of Homeland Security said Mr Belgal is an undocumented Dominican national with a criminal record, including a grand larceny conviction and a pending drug charge from 2025. Officials also alleged he is linked to the Trinitarios gang.

Furthermore, Mr Mullin stated that authorities believe Mr Belgal has direct or indirect knowledge of a recent shooting of a US Customs and Border Protection officer, which made him a high-priority target for arrest.

The child was physically unharmed in the shooting and is currently staying with family. However, local residents expressed fury that gunfire was exchanged in a busy residential area during school home-time hours. At least 20 people have been shot by federal immigration agents during the current administration, amid a sharp rise in ICE arrests in the region.