A judge issued a ruling on Friday stating that a man who was shot by ICE agents during a traffic stop in the Bronx cannot be deported without a court order. The incident occurred on Thursday and sparked protests.
The man, identified as a 28-year-old from the Dominican Republic, was reportedly shot after he did not comply with ICE officers attempting to arrest him. Following the shooting, he was taken to a hospital and later discharged.
U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken ordered that Belgal could not be deported while contesting his detention. Furthermore, he specified that Belgal should not be moved outside of New York’s Southern or Eastern Districts or New Jersey without court permission.
During the operation, ICE officers attempted to box in Belgal’s vehicle. He then drove away quickly, prompting one officer to discharge his weapon.
“Our officers, using their training and believing that their life and the lives of their partners and the public were at risk, acted accordingly,” said senior ICE official Marcos Charles.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expressed strong condemnation of ICE, stating on social media, “I am angry tonight… They shot a New Yorker while his five-year-old child was in the car. ICE makes this city less safe. We want them out. Now.”
The Department of Homeland Security noted that the migrant had prior arrests for various offenses, including assault and robbery, as well as a conviction for grand larceny.
The presence of the five-year-old boy in the car during the incident has drawn outrage from anti-ICE advocates. Immigration attorney Harold Solis commented, “Regardless of someone’s criminal history, it is not lawful to shoot a father in the afternoon with his son in the back seat.”
Judge Oetken was appointed by former President Barack Obama.
