RismadarVoice Reporters
October 10, 2026
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of New York on Friday following the shooting of a 28-year-old Dominican man by officers of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during an operation in the Bronx.
The shooting has intensified disagreements between New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump’s administration over federal immigration enforcement in the city.
The man, identified as Oscar Bergal, was reportedly shot in the neck during Thursday’s operation. A five-year-old child inside his vehicle was not physically injured.
The incident triggered demonstrations in Manhattan, where protesters condemned the shooting and demanded changes to federal immigration enforcement practices.
Demonstrators carried placards and chanted slogans opposing ICE operations while expressing support for immigrant communities.
Mayor Mamdani responded to the shooting by calling for the abolition of ICE, renewing his criticism of the agency’s enforcement methods.
He also indicated that he intended to raise the incident directly with President Trump and seek the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from New York.
However, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticised the mayor’s position, arguing that eliminating ICE would undermine efforts to apprehend individuals accused of serious crimes.
Mullin defended the agency’s role in immigration enforcement and warned that political rhetoric directed against its officers could increase hostility towards federal personnel.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain disputed.
Video footage circulated in American media appeared to show plainclothes federal officers approaching a silver vehicle during the operation.
The footage showed the vehicle reversing briefly before moving forward as officers attempted to stop it. At least one officer was seen pointing a firearm towards the driver.
Federal authorities alleged that Bergal refused instructions to leave the vehicle and attempted to escape.
Senior ICE official Marcos Charles claimed that the driver struck government vehicles and moved towards officers, prompting them to believe their safety and that of others was threatened.
Charles maintained that the officers discharged their weapons in response to the perceived danger.
Mullin separately alleged that Bergal had a criminal history and was attempting to evade arrest. Those allegations have not been independently established in the information available.
The Homeland Security secretary also said the officers did not know a child was inside the vehicle when the shooting occurred.
The incident has renewed scrutiny of federal immigration operations in New York, where local policies limit cooperation between city authorities and federal immigration enforcement agencies.
It has also exposed continuing disagreements between the Trump administration and city officials over the use of force, public safety and the treatment of immigrants.
The shooting follows other controversial encounters involving federal immigration officers across the United States, including incidents in Texas and Minnesota that resulted in fatalities.
Questions remain over whether the use of force in the Bronx operation complied with applicable law and departmental procedures.
The competing accounts from federal authorities and critics have increased calls for a transparent examination of the incident, including the circumstances leading to the shooting and the presence of a child in the vehicle.
