NEW YORK (AP) — Federal immigration agents shot and wounded a Dominican man while arresting him in New York City on Thursday, in what the Department of Homeland Security called a “targeted enforcement operation.” Protesters decried it as an example of the dangers of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The man survived and is being treated at a hospital, the agency said. It did not describe exactly what led to the shooting, saying only
that “during the incident, an ICE officer discharged his weapon” and that the man was injured.
The agency described the man as a “criminal illegal alien” with a prior grand larceny conviction and a history of other arrests. He was arrested in December 2023 but was released, the agency said, blaming “reckless” policies in Democrat-led cities, such as New York.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called in a statement for an end to all Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the city. Demonstrators at the scene chanted, “ICE off our streets now!”
An FBI spokesperson said an evidence response team was responding to the scene “to support our partners at the Department of Homeland Security,” but offered no other details. Messages seeking further information were sent to federal authorities.
The person who was shot was conscious and being treated at a hospital, the New York Police Department said in a post on X, noting that its officers didn’t witness the shooting and weren’t involved.
The shooting happened in the Marble Hill neighborhood, a small part of Manhattan attached to the Bronx.
Pedro Almaraz, an employee at a nearby restaurant, said he heard about three or four gunshots and saw a man on the ground surrounded by several officers wearing face masks and vests with Department of Homeland Security branding. Witnesses, he said, were screaming.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said in a post on social media that she had been briefed on the shooting.
“We expect federal authorities to provide a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances surrounding this incident. New Yorkers deserve to know exactly what happened and why,” she said.
Videos and photos posted by bystanders on social media showed a man sitting on the ground with his hands behind his back, in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Another video shows New York City police officers picking up an apparently injured man and carrying him into a police vehicle.
Nearby, a damaged car sat blocking the roadway with small holes in two of its windows.
The videos show agents wearing ICE badges on the scene, including one carrying a rifle.
“This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation,” Mamdani said in a statement. Mamdani, a Democrat, said he had called President Donald Trump and planned to demand that the Republican stop all ICE enforcement actions in the city.
“I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities,” Mamdani said.
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Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre, Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak contributed.
