New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Thursday that he would ask US President Donald Trump to withdraw federal immigration agents from the city following a shooting involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Bronx.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) reported that a man was shot at around 4pm in the Marble Hill neighbourhood of the Bronx during a confrontation with federal personnel. Mamdani and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the shooting occurred during an ICE operation. The agency is leading President Trump’s immigration crackdown, reports AFP.
Mamdani said a five-year-old child was inside the vehicle when the confrontation occurred. In a post on X, the Democratic mayor described the incident as an “unconscionable and incredibly serious situation” and confirmed that he had spoken to the president by telephone.
“When we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorise our communities,” Mamdani wrote.
Trump, a Republican, had heavily criticised Mamdani before the mayor took office in January. However, the two leaders have since developed a surprisingly warm relationship.
In an official statement, a DHS spokesperson said agents were attempting “to arrest a criminal illegal alien from the Dominican Republic with a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny, and multiple prior arrests for assault, robbery, possession of drugs, and weapons possession”.
The statement did not specify how many officers fired their weapons or explain why they did so. The spokesperson said ICE officers provided immediate assistance and confirmed that the wounded man survived and remained in a local hospital.
DHS initially claimed that the man had links to a Dominican gang but later issued a revised statement retracting the claim.
The shooting prompted immediate public opposition. According to AFP observations, several hundred demonstrators gathered peacefully at the scene on Thursday evening to protest against the federal immigration crackdown.
The protesters later moved to the hospital where the victim was receiving treatment. Tensions rose when some demonstrators attempted to block vehicles from leaving the facility. Law enforcement officers moved them away from the entrance and erected barriers.
State officials and civil rights groups called for a full investigation into the incident.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X that she expected “federal authorities to provide a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances surrounding this incident”.
Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, condemned the shooting as “another reminder of the unchecked, rampant violence ICE has been spreading throughout our communities”.
He called for an immediate investigation, the release of body camera footage and accountability for any ICE personnel who used excessive force.
The confrontation comes amid increased scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement practices. ICE has been involved in several high-profile shootings this year, including an incident in Minneapolis in which two US citizens were killed, triggering widespread protests.
New York, a Democratic stronghold, is among several US cities that prohibit their municipal police forces from assisting federal authorities with immigration enforcement.
