Hundreds of protesters gathered in Manhattan after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and wounded 28-year-old Oscar Bergal during an operation in New York.
Bergal was in his car when the agents opened fire. A five-year-old child was in the back seat, who was not injured. The man was hospitalized with a neck wound.
“No hate, no fear. Immigrants are welcome here“ and “No to ICE“ chanted demonstrators gathered at a rally in Manhattan.
Mamdani demands end to ICE
The incident has sparked a new confrontation between the administration of President Donald Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a representative of the Democratic Party.
Mamdani condemned the operation and said he would ask Trump to end ICE activities in the city. “Let's eliminate ICE“, the mayor wrote on the social network “Ex“.
Homeland Security Secretary Marquan Mullin responded sharply to Mamdani. “His statements are dangerous and incite hostility“, he said.
The federal authorities' version
According to Mullin, Oscar Bergal has an extensive criminal record and has tried to avoid arrest. The minister said that the man came to the United States legally several years ago, but then "committed crime after crime".
Mullin also said that the ICE agents did not know that there was a child in the car when they opened fire. This version is part of the federal authorities' explanations for the use of weapons.
New York maintains a tense relationship with federal immigration services and limits its cooperation with them to a minimum. Other federal operations this year have also sparked public outrage, including the fatal shooting of two American citizens in Minneapolis.
Sources: bta.bg, apnews.com, cbsnews.com