An ICE agent shot a man in New York in front of his five-year-old child yesterday before taking him from hospital in an unmarked vehicle, sparking renewed anger at the agency as it “terrorises” US communities.

Agents – some wearing construction vests and face masks and at least one carrying a long gun – surrounded the car of a 28-year-old Dominican national in the Bronx on Thursday, police and eyewitnesses said.

At least one ICE agent shot seven rounds at the man, identified as Oscar Belgal, as his child sat in the car’s back seat. Belgal was wounded below his left ear and taken to hospital by city police. The child was physically unharmed and relatives have been taking care of him.

Hours after the shooting, ICE agents removed the man from hospital. Footage from Freedomnews TV showed several unmarked ICE vehicles speeding away from the hospital as protesters lined the side of the road.

Hundreds of New Yorkers including elected officials protested at the hospital treating Belgal, calling for the abolition of ICE. The protests later spread to nearby streets. Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier was pushed to the ground by police officers.

“I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorise our communities,” mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on X on Thursday, adding that he had spent two hours on the phone to president Donald Trump trying to secure Belgal’s release but was unable to convince him.

“Today’s shooting is only further devastating confirmation of what we have long known – which is that ICE operates with impunity,” he added at a press conference. “They sow chaos and terror across our country, that they have killed far more of our neighbours than they could ever have claimed to save.”

The Department of Homeland Security claimed on X that officers targeted a “criminal illegal alien” associated with the Trinitarios gang who had been previously arrested for incidents involving assault, robbery and drug possession. ICE has previously faced criticism for falsely accusing immigrants of gang membership after they were shot by officers.

Last night’s shooting comes as ICE arrests hit record levels, the Guardian reports. Immigration agents have shot at least 21 people since Trump returned to office in January 2025.

ICE leaders instructed agents to increase arrests by 1,000 per day earlier this week, CNN was told, despite growing unease among even Republicans over Trump’s immigration crackdown.

From Novara Media via This RSS Feed.