New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani compared the plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who opened fire during an immigration operation to a “mass shooter” following an ICE-involved shooting in the Big Apple last week.
Speaking on MS Now, Mamdani criticized immigration enforcement for viewing “the law as a suggestion” following a shooting in the Marble Hill neighborhood on Thursday.
“There is a reason why law enforcement agents are supposed to wear identifiable information and uniforms,” Mamdani said. “What you could see in that video and in the videos that have been released since is people, bystanders outside, unsure as to what they were even seeing, because in that imagery, it feels as if you’re almost looking at a mass shooter as opposed to seeing someone who’s purportedly representing a federal agency.”
ICE officials said Dominican national Oscar Belgal, 28, “weaponized” his car, attempting to drive into nearby ICE officers, who took action, striking Belgal with a bullet or fragment superficially in the neck. After receiving medical care, he was transported to a detention facility.
Mamdani previously said he spoke with President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin for nearly two hours in an effort to negotiate Belgal’s release. Immediately following the incident, the mayor condemned the shooting on social media, calling it “unconscionable and incredibly serious” and demanding that Trump end ICE enforcement operations in the city. He also renewed his call to abolish the agency.
Mullin, however, characterized the incident more frankly. Mullin noted that Belgal has a criminal record with charges including felony robbery, assault, larceny, and drug possession. He said Belgal knew what was happening when the incident unfolded.
“This guy we knew was dangerous,” Mullin told CNN. “We knew he was probably harmed. He had fled from us before. We had taken every precaution possible to take, and for when us to approach his vehicle, we approached it, and he was giving lawful commands.”
MULLIN RIPS MAMDANI’S ‘DANGEROUS’ TONE OVER NEW YORK ICE SHOOTING
“He knew exactly who we were,” he added. “He decided to flee once again, like he had done before, and so when someone tries to flee from us, they’re taking they’re they’re making their decisions at that time. The truth is, this guy was an awful human being. He was a thug. He was a gangbanger, and he had only been in the country for three years, and he had this long of a rap sheet and had been released multiple times by New York state at the same time.”
Mullin condemned Mamdani as inciting violence against ICE on Friday, saying the mayor “speaks with political tone,” and “his words are dangerous.”