Protests erupted in Manhattan after federal immigration agents shot a 28-year-old man in the Bronx while his 5-year-old son was in the car.

U.S. President Donald Trump defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after federal agents shot a 28-year-old Dominican man during an operation in New York City, as the incident sparked protests and drew criticism from Democratic leaders over the administration’s immigration enforcement policies.

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Speaking at a political rally in Syracuse in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, Trump described the man, identified as Oscar Bengal in one account and Oscar Bergal in another, as a dangerous criminal allegedly linked to the Los Trinitarios gang. Trump said the man was wanted in connection with a possible murder and accused Democratic politicians of opposing his detention.

“Yesterday, our heroes at ICE apprehended a man with a criminal record a mile long who was wanted for possible murder and a gang murder,” Trump said. He accused New York politicians of wanting to release the man and argued that electing Blakeman and a Republican-controlled Congress would help prevent undocumented immigrants accused of crimes from being released.

🇺🇸⚠️ Un hombre dominicano resultó herido en Nueva York tras un ataque del ICE. El suceso reavivó las denuncias por la impunidad y la violencia de la agencia federal contra migrantes. #EEUU #ICE #teleSUR #9Oct pic.twitter.com/ftymxEabuj

— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) October 9, 2026

Text Reads: A Dominican man was injured in New York following an ICE attack. The incident reignited complaints about the impunity and violence of the federal agency against migrants.

Trump also pledged to pursue legislation banning so-called sanctuary cities and states, which restrict cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities.

The shooting occurred Thursday in the Marble Hill neighborhood of the Bronx. The man was wounded in the neck while inside his vehicle with his 5-year-old son, who was not physically injured.

Federal officials defended the agents’ actions, saying the driver had attempted to evade arrest and posed a threat to officers. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the man had an extensive criminal record and that agents did not know a child was in the vehicle when they opened fire.

Marcos Charles, a senior ICE official, said the man had refused lawful orders to leave his vehicle before accelerating into two government vehicles and driving toward other officers.

“Our officers, using their training, and believing that their life and the lives of their partners and general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons,” Charles said.

Video of the incident, shared by U.S. media on Friday, appeared to show a plainclothes federal agent approaching a silver car with a gun drawn. The vehicle briefly reversed as the agent struck the driver’s-side window. A second officer then pointed a weapon at the driver as the car moved away, apparently colliding with a passing vehicle.

The shooting drew criticism from Democratic officials, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who called for ICE to be abolished in a post on X. Mamdani said Thursday that he was seeking a conversation with Trump and would demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from the city.

Mullin criticized the mayor’s position, saying his remarks were “dangerous and incite hostility.”

“Mayor, if you abolish ICE, who’s going to take criminals off the streets of your own town?” Mullin said, asking who would arrest murderers, thieves and gang members.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Manhattan on Friday, chanting “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here” and “No ICE.” Protesters demanded the abolition of ICE and called for an independent investigation led by the New York State attorney general into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

The incident has added to tensions between the Trump administration and Democratic leaders in New York, where local police are barred from assisting with certain federal immigration enforcement activities. It could also test the relationship between Trump and Mamdani, who had sought to speak with the president after the shooting.

The incident comes amid a series of high-profile shootings involving federal immigration agents. Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was shot by ICE in March 2025 in what the Texas Tribune described as the first known killing of an American by immigration agents during Trump’s second term. Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado died in July after being shot by an ICE officer in Houston. Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens, were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in separate incidents in Minnesota earlier this year.

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