“ICE is rotten to its core”: NYC Mayor Mamdani slams federal agency after Bronx shooting; claims presence of 5-year-old in car

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday (local time) accused US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of operating with impunity after a man was shot by federal agents in the Bronx, alleging that a five-year-old child was inside the vehicle when the agents opened fire in a crowded residential neighbourhood.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday (local time) accused US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of operating with impunity after a man was shot by federal agents in the Bronx, alleging that a five-year-old child was inside the vehicle when the agents opened fire in a crowded residential neighbourhood. According to Fox News, while addressing the press, Mamdani said that the shooting took place at around 4 pm (local time) on Thursday in the Marble Hill neighbourhood, adding that several details surrounding the incident remained unclear. He alleged that ICE agents surrounded the man's vehicle before opening fire, at a time when school had just ended, and families and children were on the street.

“ICE agents surrounded the man's vehicle before opening fire. They wore construction vests and masks that concealed their faces. There was no reasonable way to identify them as ICE agents. School had just gotten out. The street was crowded with families and children. When ICE agents opened fire, a 5-year-old child, a 5-year-old child, was in the back seat of the car. Thank God that child is physically unharmed,” Mamdani said during the press conference. “We know that ICE is rotten to its core. Today's shooting is only further devastating confirmation of what we have long known, which is that ICE operates with impunity, that 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,” he added.

Mamdani also said he had spent two hours speaking with US President Donald Trump and Secretary Mullen to negotiate the release of the injured man, but the discussions were unsuccessful. “For the past two hours, I have been on the phone with President Trump and Secretary Mullen negotiating the release of the man ICE agents shot. Those negotiations were unsuccessful. Just moments ago, ICE put the man in an unmarked vehicle and whisked him away. Let me say this plainly: what happened today was an outrage,” Mamdani said, according to Fox News.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said federal agents were attempting to arrest a man from the Dominican Republic when the shooting occurred. According to Fox News, the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed that its officers were not present at the scene during the encounter. Earlier on Thursday (local time), the New York City Mayor had called for an end to all ICE enforcement operations in the city.

In a post on X, he said early reports indicated that agents had surrounded the man and a five-year-old child inside the car before firing multiple rounds. “This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation. I have called the President; when we speak, I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities. Our thoughts are with the injured New Yorker and his family tonight. We are praying for his recovery,” Mamdani added in the post.

Calling for the agency to leave the city, he said, “Get ICE out of our neighborhoods. Get ICE out of our hospitals. Get ICE off our streets. Get ICE away from our children.” He concluded the post with the words, “Abolish ICE.”

Meanwhile, ICE said in a post on X that the incident occurred at approximately 4 pm ET on October 8, when its officers were conducting an operation to arrest a Dominican Republic national with a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny and multiple previous arrests. The agency alleged that the man had associations with the Trinitarios gang. ICE said an officer discharged a weapon during the incident, injuring the individual, and that officers immediately provided medical assistance.

“The individual is alive and at a local hospital. The FBI and HSI are on the scene. The incident remains under investigation. More information will be shared as it becomes available,” the agency said. ICE also criticised sanctuary policies, arguing that the release of individuals it considers dangerous makes enforcement operations more unpredictable and puts officers and the public at risk.

Following the shooting, anti-ICE protesters gathered outside NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, where the injured man was being treated, according to the New York Post. The newspaper reported that demonstrators called for ICE to leave the city and that a brief confrontation occurred when some protesters pushed against police barricades. At least one protester was arrested, the report said. A CBS News analysis found that there have been at least 30 shootings involving Department of Homeland Security officers during the second Trump administration, some of which have been fatal. (ANI)