The Department of Homeland Security said a federal immigration officer shot and injured a Dominican man during an arrest in New York City.
NEW YORK — A Dominican man was shot and wounded by federal immigration agents during an arrest in New York City on Thursday, an encounter DHS described as a “targeted enforcement operation.” Protesters, however, condemned the incident as another illustration of the risks associated with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The man survived and was taken to a hospital, according to the agency. DHS offered few details about what preceded the shooting, saying only that “during the incident, an ICE officer discharged his weapon,” striking and injuring the man.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul said they were told agents opened fire while the man was inside a vehicle with a 5-year-old child. The child appeared to be unharmed. Hochul said she spoke by phone with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and pressed them to suspend immigration enforcement operations in New York.
Mamdani likewise called for ICE operations in the city to stop, describing the shooting as “unconscionable and incredibly serious.”
Videos show aftermath of the shooting
The shooting happened at approximately 4 p.m. in Marble Hill, a small Manhattan neighborhood connected to the Bronx.
Pedro Almaraz, who works at a restaurant near the scene, said he heard roughly three or four shots. He then saw a man lying on the ground as several masked officers in vests marked with Department of Homeland Security insignia surrounded him. Almaraz said people nearby were screaming.
Photos and videos shared by bystanders on social media appeared to show the man seated on the pavement with his hands restrained behind him shortly after the shooting. In another video, New York City police officers lift what appeared to be the injured man and place him inside a police vehicle.
A damaged vehicle was left blocking the street nearby, with several small holes visible in two of its windows.
The footage also showed agents wearing ICE badges, including one officer carrying a rifle.
Heated protest and press conference
Several local politicians denounced the shooting during an emotional news conference at the scene Thursday night.
“We are heartbroken and enraged,” said City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, a Democrat who emigrated from the Dominican Republic and represents communities that include Marble Hill. Other elected officials directed profanity at ICE and Trump, a Republican.
Protesters gathered at the scene, chanting, “ICE off our streets now!” before marching to the hospital where the wounded man was receiving treatment. A large crowd later blocked an intersection near the hospital entrance. When police began installing barricades to keep ambulances and other vehicles moving, some demonstrators pushed against the barriers and threw water bottles at officers.
More clashes at the barricades followed, and police made some arrests.
Homeland Security blames “sanctuary policies”
DHS complained that its officers “are forced to make arrests at large in the community in unpredictable and dangerous environments” when “dangerous illegal aliens” get released. The agency blamed “reckless sanctuary policies” in Democrat-led areas. There is no clear definition of sanctuary jurisdictions, but the term is generally applied to state and local governments that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The agency said the man who was shot had a prior grand larceny conviction and a history of other arrests. New York police arrested him in December 2023, and he was released, DHS said.
ICE agents have fired their guns during more than a dozen vehicle stops since last year, killing at least four people and wounding others. In late September, ICE ordered its officers not to engage in high-speed car chases and to make vehicle stops only if they have completed specific training.
Marble Hill resident Alfred Silva, 38, called for federal officers to more clearly identify themselves, saying one was wearing a construction safety vest and carrying a rifle.
“We need to have better transparency to understand who we’re dealing with, because anybody in the street can just put on a vest and pull out a gun and claim to be ICE,” he said.
“I feel like regardless if you’re left or right, we should understand that this shouldn’t be happening.”
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