Mamdani demands Trump release illegal immigrant shot by ICE agent as protests erupt in the Bronx
New York City officials condemned a shooting by a federal immigration agent that left a 28‑year‑old man wounded in the Bronx on Thursday afternoon, prompting protests and calls for an end to ICE enforcement in the city.
Around 4 p.m., ICE agents attempted to apprehend a man from the Dominican Republic who was wanted on a grand larceny conviction and had a history of arrests for assault, robbery, drug possession and weapons possession. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the individual was believed to have ties to the Trinitarios gang. During the operation, an ICE officer fired seven rounds, striking the man in the neck just below his left ear. The agent rendered aid immediately, and the wounded man was transported to a local hospital where he remains alive. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are on the scene, and the incident is under investigation.
A 5‑year‑old boy who was in the vehicle with the man at the time of the shooting was not injured and is now in the care of a family member, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Tisch also noted that the man had been arrested by the NYPD on Dec. 7, 2023, but was released several days later; DHS attributed that release to the city’s sanctuary policies.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the shooting at a late‑night news conference, saying he had spoken with President Donald Trump for about two hours after the incident. Mamdani urged Trump to have the man released, a request that was unsuccessful, and called for ICE agents to be withdrawn from New York City. “All they do is terrorize this city,” Mamdani said of ICE. He added that the agency is “rotten to its core” and accused it of acting “with impunity” while spreading “chaos and terror” across the country. “Today's shooting is only further devastating confirmation of what we have long known,” he stated.
Governor Kathy Hochul also weighed in, saying she had spoken with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. She expressed outrage on behalf of New Yorkers and urged the federal government to halt ICE enforcement operations in the state. Hochul further requested that any body‑camera footage of the shooting be released to the public so the facts can be established.
Later Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside NewYork‑Presbyterian Allen Hospital, where the wounded man was being treated. Protesters chanted slogans such as “ICE off our streets,” “No justice, no peace,” and “From Palestine to Mexico, all these walls have got to go.” The demonstration turned tense at times, with some participants shoving police officers and throwing water bottles; officers responded by setting up barricades and made several arrests.
The incident has reignited debate over immigration enforcement and sanctuary city policies, with city leaders demanding accountability and a cessation of ICE activities in New York. Federal officials have said they will release more information as the investigation progresses.