Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated on Friday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not halt its activities in New York following a shooting in the Bronx. The incident occurred Thursday afternoon when two plainclothes ICE officers shot and wounded a man who was in a car with a 5-year-old child.
Mullin addressed the growing criticism during a Friday morning news conference, which was intended to push back against the rebukes from local officials. "We're not putting a pause on enforcement," Mullin said. "I'm sorry, we're not." He added that he is not sorry, asserting that the agency's job is to enforce the nation's laws and target the worst offenders.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued furious rebukes of ICE following the shooting. Hochul said she asked Mullin and President Donald Trump to immediately halt operations in her state.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch identified the victim at a Thursday evening news conference as Oscar Belgal, 28. Tisch said Belgal was shot in the neck after officers approached his vehicle as it backed into a parking spot in the Marble Hill neighborhood.