An ICE officer shot and wounded Oscar Belgal, 28, in New York City’s Bronx on Thursday, sparking protests and condemnations from New York officials. Belgal was taken to a hospital with a superficial neck wound. A five-year-old child was in the vehicle at the time and was not physically harmed, according to reports.

At a press conference in Washington, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the shooting, saying officers believed their lives and those of the public were in danger. ICE officials said officers boxed in Belgal’s car and that he accelerated, smashed into ICE vehicles, and drove toward officers—prompting officers to fire using their training. Mullin also criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s response, including calls to halt or abolish ICE, saying the mayor’s “dangerous” rhetoric incites hostility.

Outlets also report that New York officials disputed details of the encounter. Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said plainclothed ICE personnel approached Belgal with guns drawn and did not provide a clear way to identify them as ICE agents. The episode occurs amid broader tensions between federal immigration enforcement and New York policies that limit local police assistance with ICE operations.