An ICE Officer Fires Seven Rounds Into a Car With a 5-Year-Old Inside in Upper Manhattan, Hitting 28-Year-Old Oscar Belgal in the Neck — Zohran Mamdani Says "There Is No Explanation," Kathy Hochul Calls ICE "a Rogue Federal Agency," and Markwayne Mullin Says the Mayor's "Words Are Dangerous and Incite Hostility"
Around 4 p.m. on Oct. 8, 2026, during what DHS called a "targeted enforcement operation" in the Marble Hill section of Upper Manhattan, a plainclothes ICE officer approached a gray car with his gun drawn as the driver, 28-year-old Oscar Belgal, was pulling into a parking space. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at least one agent fired seven rounds, striking Belgal in the neck below his left ear. A 5-year-old boy, believed to be his son, was in the back seat and was not physically hurt. Belgal was hospitalized in stable condition and then moved into ICE custody outside the city. Some outlets later spelled his surname "Bergal." DHS said Belgal is a Dominican national with a grand larceny conviction and gang ties. At an Oct. 9 news conference, a senior ICE official said officers fired because Belgal drove into their vehicles and they believed their lives were in danger. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he spent about two hours on the phone with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin seeking Belgal's release and an end to ICE operations in the city, and was turned down. Mullin said the officers' body cameras were on but set no date for releasing the footage. He accused Mamdani of inciting hostility. Hundreds protested outside the hospital, and four people were arrested.
“[At a DHS news conference in Washington on the "dangerous consequences of sanctuary city policies":] Sanctuary politicians, they create an environment for criminal activity to thrive, not for the American citizens to be safe. … When you have sanctuary cities and sanctuary politicians, you endanger the safety of the public. … We're enforcing our nation's laws. We're not picking and choosing. … Why is that controversial? We should all want law and order on our streets. … This was a thug. The absolute worst of the worst. … We're giving so much attention to this thug. … [On Mayor Mamdani:] The mayor speaks with political tone. His words are dangerous and incite hostility. … As the investigation moves forward, as I said, we'll release the information.”