By The American Tribune | Created at 2026-10-10 10:23:13 | Updated at 2026-10-10 13:17:52
3 hours ago
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani demanded that ICE leave the city after a federal agent shot an illegal immigrant during an arrest operation, then tried unsuccessfully to secure the wounded man’s release through President Donald Trump. The mayor renewed his call to abolish the agency. Federal officials said the arrest target had a criminal conviction and alleged gang connections. By Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was defending the officers.
The confrontation happened Thursday, October 8th, in Marble Hill, where immigration officers approached a vehicle at approximately 4 p.m. The man was later identified as 28-year-old Oscar Belgal, a Dominican national whom federal authorities said was in the country illegally. Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch addressed the shooting at a late-night news conference. A five-year-old boy believed to be Belgal’s son was inside the car.
Mamdani first issued a statement demanding an end to federal immigration enforcement in the city. He said he had called the president and would press that demand when they spoke. “I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities,” the mayor declared. His statement called for agents to leave neighborhoods, hospitals and streets, then ended with the demand: “Abolish ICE.”
Fox News reported: “All they do is terrorize this city,” Mamdani said. “ICE is rotten to its core,” he added. The mayor said he had spent two hours speaking with Trump and Mullin in an effort to obtain Belgal’s release. Those negotiations failed, and Mamdani said agents placed the wounded man in an unmarked vehicle and took him away from the hospital.
DHS described the operation as an attempt to arrest a man with a prior grand larceny conviction and previous arrests involving assault, robbery, drugs and weapons possession. The department also alleged associations with the Trinitarios gang. Its initial statement said he was arrested by NYPD on December 7th, 2023, but was released into the community several days later. DHS blamed the city’s sanctuary policies for that release.
The department said officers immediately provided medical aid after the shooting, and the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations responded. DHS also criticized local restrictions on cooperation with immigration authorities, saying they force officers to conduct arrests in unpredictable settings. “Our officers should not have to risk their lives,” the statement said. The department said innocent Americans also face unnecessary danger when local officials refuse to cooperate with federal enforcement.
Watch Mamdani demand ICE’s removal here:
"*" indicates required fields
Tisch said investigators determined that at least one ICE agent fired seven rounds. Belgal was struck in the neck, and authorities said the child was physically unharmed and subsequently placed with a family member. Police cameras showed one officer approaching the driver’s window and another approaching near the driver’s-side headlight before the vehicle moved out of view. Two federal agents were also injured and received treatment, according to law enforcement sources.
Demonstrators gathered outside the hospital where Belgal received treatment, and four people were arrested for obstructing governmental administration. They received desk appearance tickets requiring a later court appearance. By Friday, federal officials said Belgal had been transferred to a detention facility outside New York state. His grand larceny conviction had resulted in five years of probation in April 2025, according to Charles; a separate drug case remained pending.
At Friday’s federal news conference, ICE official Marcos Charles said Belgal refused orders to exit his car, struck two ICE vehicles and drove toward officers. Mullin said agents were unaware of the child’s presence and defended their actions. He also challenged Mamdani’s demand to dismantle the agency: “Well mayor, if you abolish ICE, who’s going to take criminals off the streets of your own town?”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.
