NEW YORK, United States – A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot a man in the Bronx on Thursday, prompting New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to condemn the incident and demand accountability.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, confirmed that an officer “discharged his weapon” during what it described as a targeted enforcement operation to arrest a “criminal illegal alien”.
The man survived the shooting and was taken to a local hospital, according to DHS. His identity had not been publicly released.
Mamdani described the incident as an “unconscionable and incredibly serious situation”, saying preliminary reports indicated that agents had surrounded the man and a five-year-old child inside his car before firing multiple rounds.
“We believe the child was physically unharmed,” Mamdani said.
The BBC said it had approached DHS for comment on the mayor’s account.
Mamdani Calls For ICE Operations To End
Mamdani said he would ask US President Donald Trump to end ICE enforcement operations in New York City.
“I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorise our communities,” he wrote on X on Thursday evening.
New York is among several US cities with policies restricting local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The shooting drew protesters to the scene later on Thursday, with demonstrators chanting “we want justice” and “ICE off our streets now”.
Governor Hochul Demands Release Of Body Camera Footage
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said late Thursday that she had spoken to Trump about the shooting and expressed outrage on behalf of state residents.
She also called for the release of any available body camera footage to help establish what happened.
“I also asked that any body camera footage of the shooting be released to the public so we can establish the facts and get to the truth,” Hochul said.
US President Donald Trump had not publicly commented on the incident at the time of the report.
DHS Cites Man’s Criminal Record
In its statement, DHS said the man was from the Dominican Republic and had a previous criminal conviction for grand larceny, as well as prior arrests involving allegations of assault, robbery, drug possession and weapons possession.
The department said New York police arrested him in December 2023 but released him a few days later.
DHS also alleged that he was associated with the Trinitarios, which the US Department of Justice describes as a transnational criminal group.
The claims were made by DHS as officials faced calls for greater transparency over the shooting.
Shooting Adds To Scrutiny Of ICE Enforcement
The Bronx incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of shootings involving federal immigration officers.
One high-profile case occurred in Minneapolis in January, when Renee Good was killed in a shooting involving an ICE officer.
In the latest incident, questions remain about the circumstances leading to the use of force, including the events inside the vehicle and the presence of the five-year-old child.
Calls by Mamdani and Hochul for answers and the release of video footage have placed renewed focus on how federal immigration enforcement operations are conducted in American cities.
