ICE agents shoot Bronx migrant with criminal history

ICE agents shot 28-year-old Oscar Belgal in the neck during an attempted arrest in the Bronx on Thursday. Federal authorities identified Belgal, a Dominican national, as a suspected member of the Trinitarios gang with a significant criminal record, including a 2023 armed robbery conviction and pending charges for allegedly selling fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin.

The confrontation occurred in Marble Hill when plainclothes agents approached Belgal’s vehicle. According to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, Belgal accelerated his SUV into two agents, prompting an agent to open fire. Belgal’s five-year-old son was in the backseat during the incident but was not injured.

The shooting has sparked political tension between federal authorities and New York City officials. Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the federal operation, while some local residents expressed outrage at the characterization of Belgal, citing his history of violence and alleged use of a machete to terrorize neighbors in a previous residence.