Protests erupt in the Bronx after ICE agent shoots man during immigration operation

An ICE agent shot and injured a man in the U.S. illegally during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in New York City on Thursday afternoon, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Protests erupted in the Bronx in response to the shooting, leading to multiple arrests as demonstrators were seen blocking federal vehicles and smashing car windows.

Dozens of protesters were seen on video clashing with law enforcement officers, at times pushing against barricades as tensions escalated.

Many wore masks and carried signs reading "ICE out of NYC," while others chanted, "Set him free, let him stay, full rights for immigrants."

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The shooting took place around 4 p.m. in the Marble Hill neighborhood of the Bronx, where ICE officers were attempting to arrest a man from the Dominican Republic, according to a DHS spokesperson.

DHS said the man, who has been identified as Oscar Bergdahl, 28, and described by the agency as a wanted illegal immigrant, had a prior grand larceny conviction and previous arrests involving assault, robbery, drug possession and weapons possession. The agency also alleged that he had ties to the Trinitarios gang.

While DHS did not specify what prompted the shooting or how many shots were fired, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said evidence collected at the scene Thursday evening determined "at least one agent discharged the seven rounds, striking the driver in the neck below his left ear."

ICE officers immediately provided medical assistance, DHS said. The man survived and was taken to a nearby hospital.

Tisch confirmed that a 5-year-old boy, believed to be Bergdahl's son, was inside the vehicle during the shooting. She said NYPD officers later located the child during a welfare check and confirmed he was safe and in the care of a family member.

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During a news conference Thursday evening, Tisch said Bergdahl had two prior arrests in New York City. Tisch said he pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny in connection with a 2023 robbery and was sentenced to five years of probation. He was also arrested in 2025 on a charge of criminal sale of a controlled substance, a case that remains pending. 

DHS blamed New York City's sanctuary policies for his release.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani also spoke at the Thursday night press conference, announcing that he spoke to President Donald Trump on the phone for about two hours in efforts to have the illegal immigrant released. He said those efforts were unsuccessful. 

Mamdani also accused ICE of acting "with impunity" and spreading "chaos and terror" across the country, alleging that the agency has killed more people than it has saved.

"Today's shooting is only further devastating confirmation of what we have long known," the mayor said, adding that, "ICE is rotten to its core."

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Earlier in the evening, Mamdani wrote on X that initial reports indicated ICE agents had surrounded the man and child inside a vehicle before opening fire. DHS has not confirmed those circumstances.

"This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation," Mamdani wrote. He also called for ICE to be abolished and demanded that federal immigration agents leave New York City's neighborhoods, hospitals and streets.

The NYPD said its officers were not involved in the shooting and were not at the scene when it happened.

An NYPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital by phone that DHS was investigating the incident and directed additional questions to federal authorities.

DHS subsequently confirmed that FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) personnel were at the scene and that the incident remained under investigation.

DHS criticized local sanctuary policies, arguing that restrictions on cooperation with federal immigration authorities force ICE officers to conduct arrests in potentially dangerous circumstances.

"When dangerous illegal aliens are released back onto the streets by radical sanctuary politicians, our officers are forced to make arrests at large in the community in unpredictable and dangerous environments," the DHS spokesperson said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday that she had been briefed on the shooting and called on federal authorities to provide a full account of what happened.

"We expect federal authorities to provide a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances surrounding this incident," Hochul wrote in a post on X. "New Yorkers deserve to know exactly what happened and why."

In a separate post, Hochul said she spoke with Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about the shooting.

"I expressed outrage on behalf of New Yorkers and urged them to halt ICE enforcement operations in New York," Hochul wrote. "I also asked that any body camera footage of the shooting be released to the public so we can establish the facts and get to the truth.

The circumstances that led the ICE officer to discharge a weapon remain unclear. DHS said additional information would be released as the investigation continues.