A man has been shot by officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during an operation in New York City, an incident that has prompted Mayor Zohran Mamdani to call for President Donald Trump to remove federal agents from the city.
The shooting took place at approximately 4 p.m. ET on Thursday in the Marble Hill neighbourhood of the Bronx. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) confirmed via social media platform X that its officers were not involved in the incident.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Independent that ICE officers were conducting an operation to arrest an individual described as a “criminal illegal alien from the Dominican Republic.” The individual reportedly had a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny, alongside multiple previous arrests for assault, robbery, possession of drugs, and weapons possession. The spokesperson also stated the man allegedly has ties to the Trinitarios organised crime group.
Mayor Mamdani provided an early account of the events, stating on X that ICE agents surrounded the man while he was in his car with a five-year-old child before "firing multiple rounds." He added, "We believe the child was physically unharmed."
The DHS spokesperson confirmed that the man was injured after an ICE officer discharged their weapon. The individual's name and age have not been released. Following the shooting, ICE officers immediately provided aid, and the man is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are on the scene, and the incident remains under investigation.
Witnesses described a rapid and intense scene. One woman who observed the shooting initially mistook the four gunshots for a car backfiring. She recounted to WABC: "'No, that's definitely gunshots.' So I ran to my window and all of a sudden I saw cops running – not walking — down the street, and followed shortly thereafter by more cops, and then more cops and ICE agents. Everybody was running. A lot of the ICE agents were, of course, masked." She described the event as "horrifying." Another witness told the same outlet, "It was really quick. It was boom, boom, boom, boom, boom."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has also called for transparency, demanding federal authorities provide a full explanation. "We expect federal authorities to provide a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances surrounding this incident," Governor Hochul wrote on X. "New Yorkers deserve to know exactly what happened and why."
Mayor Mamdani characterised the situation as "unconscionable and incredibly serious." He announced his intention to "demand that he [President Trump] ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city" the next time he speaks with the President. Mamdani further stated, "I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorise our communities."
The incident occurs amidst ongoing criticism of President Trump's extensive deportation campaign, which many have labelled as overly aggressive. Several past shootings involving federal immigration agents have attracted significant media attention.
In July, the Trump administration faced considerable scrutiny after ICE agents fatally shot 52-year-old Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and 25-year-old Colombian native Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine. Both incidents occurred at traffic stops within less than a week of each other. DHS stated at the time that an ICE officer fired at Guerrero due to fears for "public safety," while Salgado Araujo was shot in "self-defense."
Public opinion surveys indicate a mixed response to the administration's immigration enforcement policies. An August poll conducted by Politico/Public First found that 49 per cent of Americans believe President Trump’s mass deportations targeting undocumented immigrants have been too aggressive. In contrast, 30 per cent felt the crackdown had been "about right," while 11 per cent considered it "not aggressive enough." Ten per cent of respondents were undecided.
The Department of Homeland Security has defended the actions of its agents, including those involved in Thursday's shooting. A DHS spokesperson stated to The Independent: "When dangerous illegal aliens are released back onto the streets by radical sanctuary politicians, our officers are forced to make arrests at large in the community in unpredictable and dangerous environments. Our officers should not have to risk their lives, and innocent Americans should not have to face unnecessary danger, because sanctuary politicians refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement."
