DHS defends ICE shooting in NYC, says officers believed they were in danger

The shooting prompted protests in New York City as officials defended ICE and Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the incident.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin (centre) speaks during a press conference at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington, DC, October 9, 2026 [Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP]

The United States Department of Homeland Security has defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) shooting of a man in New York City while his child was present. Federal officials used the incident to criticise sanctuary-city policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

New York officials have condemned the shooting and have called for ICE to end its operations in the city.

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The shooting took place on Thursday afternoon when ICE officers attempted to arrest a man identified by New York City police as Oscar Belgal.

Homeland Security officials gave their account of the incident on Friday during a news conference, saying that Belgal refused to exit his car when approached by officers and then accelerated, striking two ICE vehicles.

They said officers then opened fire, grazing Belgal’s neck while his five-year-old child was in the back seat.

According to Homeland Security officials, Belgal received first aid and was taken to hospital before being transferred to a secure detention facility outside New York state. They did not disclose where Belgal is being held.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that the agents did not know the child was inside the vehicle when they fired.

ICE senior official Marcos Charles said agents had attempted to arrest Belgal as part of an investigation into suspected gang involvement in an earlier shooting of a US Customs and Border Protection officer.

According to US officials, Belgal is an undocumented migrant from the Dominican Republic who had previously evaded arrest and received a five-year sentence for grand larceny in April 2025.

“[Belgal] was a thug,” Mullin said at the Friday news conference. “The absolute worst of the worst.”

Mullin confirmed that officers were wearing body cameras but the footage has not been made public. New York City police released bodycam footage on Friday of police officers on the scene who had responded to a 911 call about the incident.

In other violent incidents involving federal immigration officers, video evidence has contradicted initial accounts from ICE and Homeland Security officials, including in Minneapolis, where footage of the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good challenged federal officials’ descriptions of the encounters.

The latest shooting prompted protests on Thursday night in the Bronx, where the shooting took place, with demonstrators condemning ICE and calling for the agency to be abolished. Tensions rose after NYPD officers clashed with some of the protesters.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the shooting and said he had called US President Donald Trump to demand an end to ICE enforcement in the city.

Speaking to reporters late on Thursday at the scene of the shooting, Mamdani said he had tried unsuccessfully to secure Belgal’s release in phone calls with Trump and Mullin.

“These actions are making the city less safe,” Mamdani said. “ICE is rotten to its core.”

Mullin accused Mamdani of prioritising politics over public safety and said Trump had offered to transfer Belgal to New York police custody if they pursued charges. Mullin said Mamdani refused this offer.

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani gives an update about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shooting in the Bronx borough of New York, October 8, 2026 [AFP]

枪击事件引发了纽约市的抗议活动，官员们为美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）辩护，市长佐兰·马姆达尼谴责了这起事件。

2026年10月9日，美国国土安全部长马克韦恩·穆林（中）在华盛顿特区美国移民和海关执法局（ICE）总部举行的新闻发布会上发表讲话。[Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP]

美国国土安全部为移民和海关执法局（ICE）在纽约市枪击一名男子（当时他的孩子也在场）的行为辩护。联邦官员借此事件批评了限制与联邦移民当局合作的庇护城市政策。

纽约官员谴责了这起枪击事件，并呼吁美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）停止在该市的行动。

（共3条） ICE枪击纽约男子，车内载有五岁儿童，引发抗议活动

纽约市长马姆达尼与 DoorDash 就低薪员工达成创纪录的和解协议（共 3 条，此为第 2 条）

专家称，纽约市禁止八年级学生使用人工智能的做法为美国其他地区树立了榜样（共3项，此为第3项）。

枪击事件发生在周四下午，当时美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）官员试图逮捕一名被纽约市警方确认为奥斯卡·贝尔加尔的男子。

国土安全部官员周五在新闻发布会上介绍了这起事件，称贝尔加尔在警员靠近时拒绝下车，然后加速行驶，撞上了两辆移民执法局的车辆。

他们说，随后警员开枪，子弹擦伤了贝尔加尔的脖子，当时他五岁的孩子就坐在后座上。

据国土安全部官员称，贝尔加尔接受了急救并被送往医院，之后被转移到纽约州以外的一处安全拘留设施。他们没有透露贝尔加尔被关押的具体地点。

美国国土安全部部长马克韦恩·穆林表示，特工们开枪时并不知道车内有孩子。

美国移民及海关执法局高级官员马科斯·查尔斯表示，特工们曾试图逮捕贝尔加尔，这是对一起涉嫌与早前美国海关和边境保护官员枪击案有关的团伙调查的一部分。

据美国官员称，贝尔加尔是来自多米尼加共和国的无证移民，他曾逃避逮捕，并于 2025 年 4 月因重大盗窃罪被判处五年监禁。

穆林在周五的新闻发布会上说：“贝尔加尔是个恶棍，绝对是罪大恶极的恶棍。”

穆林证实警员当时佩戴了执法记录仪，但录像尚未公开。纽约市警方于周五公布了事发现场警员的执法记录仪录像，这些警员当时正在处理一起与该事件相关的911报警电话。

在其他涉及联邦移民官员的暴力事件中，视频证据与美国移民及海关执法局 (ICE) 和国土安全部官员的最初说法相矛盾，包括在明尼阿波利斯发生的事件，Alex Pretti 和 Renee Good 被枪杀的录像挑战了联邦官员对事件的描述。

最新一起枪击事件引发了周四晚间在枪击案发生地布朗克斯区的抗议活动，示威者谴责美国移民及海关执法局（ICE），并呼吁废除该机构。纽约警察局警员与部分抗议者发生冲突后，紧张局势升级。

纽约市市长佐兰·马姆达尼谴责了这起枪击事件，并表示他已致电美国总统唐纳德·特朗普，要求停止美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）在该市的执法行动。

周四晚些时候，马姆达尼在枪击现场对记者说，他曾试图通过与特朗普和穆林的电话沟通来确保贝尔加尔获释，但没有成功。

“这些行为让这座城市变得更加不安全，”马姆达尼说。“移民及海关执法局（ICE）已经腐败透顶了。”

穆林指责马姆达尼将政治置于公共安全之上，并称特朗普曾提出，如果他们提起诉讼，就将贝尔加尔移交给纽约警方。穆林说，马姆达尼拒绝了这一提议。

2026年10月8日，纽约市市长佐兰·马姆达尼就纽约布朗克斯区移民和海关执法局（ICE）枪击事件发表最新讲话。[法新社]