The undercover ICE agent who shot a Dominican immigrant in the Bronx could easily have been mistaken for a mass shooter, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Sunday, calling the agency’s tactics dangerously reckless.
Mamdani’s comments came in an interview with MS NOW, days after an ICE agent fatally shot Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old Dominican immigrant who was in a moving car with his five-year-old son. Thursday’s shooting in Marble Hill sparked protests and renewed national attention on ICE operations.
“We’re talking about a federal agency that shot at a moving vehicle in broad daylight while its agents wore construction vests and used long guns, and left New Yorkers terrorized,” Mamdani said.
Video of the incident shows an ICE agent wearing a bright yellow construction vest, holding a long gun as he stands near Belgal, who is injured and handcuffed.
“It’s like you’re almost looking at a mass shooter instead of seeing someone who’s supposed to represent a federal agency,” Mamdani added.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark is investigating the shooting. Mamdani reiterated his call for ICE to end its operations in New York.
“What they have shown time and time again is that they view the law as a suggestion,” Mamdani said.
The shooting sparked protests across the city. The New York Police Department was not involved in the shooting, but was criticized for the officers’ handling of the aftermath.
Video from Thursday showed Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic candidate for the congressional district that includes Marble Hill, pushed to the ground by NYPD officers during a protest at the scene. Chevalier called for Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to resign or be fired.
“I have made it very clear that it is unacceptable to knock any New Yorker to the ground, whether or not they are on the verge of becoming a member of Congress, and it is not something I will seek to justify,” Mamdani said.
The mayor previously said there were no plans to replace Tisch. During Sunday’s interview, he said he and Tisch would conduct a comprehensive review of the 24-hour period beginning with the shooting, including ICE’s conduct during the incident and the NYPD’s response at the scene and during the protests that followed.
The Trump administration said the shooting was justified, alleging that Belgal “used his vehicle as a weapon” against the ICE agents. Authorities said Belgal was convicted of grand theft in 2023 and pleaded not guilty in an ongoing case for allegedly selling drugs.
Mamdani said President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin asked him that the New York Police Department detain Belgal, a request he said he rebuffed.
“I asked: ‘On what mandate?’ We do not have an arrest warrant for Mr. Bergal in New York,” Mamdani said.
“They don’t care what law and order is supposed to be, and then they want us to try to justify their actions for them,” Mamdani added.
Mamdani said he still plans to have talks with the Trump administration in hopes of getting Belgal released from ICE custody.
“Those two hours on Thursday evening, those negotiations, ultimately failed,” Mamdani said. “However, I would be betraying my duty as mayor of our city if I did not try every moment with every person to keep this city safe, and that is something I will always continue to do.”
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