NEW YORK (TNND) — Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended federal immigration officers involved in Thursday night’s ICE-involved shooting, saying the officers believed their lives were in danger as he sharply criticized New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s condemnation of the incident.

A 28-year-old man, identified by police as Oscar Belgal, was shot in the neck while driving with a 5-year-old boy inside his car, officials said. Mullin said ICE was not aware a child was in the vehicle and blamed Belgal for fleeing, ramming vehicles and driving toward officers.

“The public outcry should be also towards this criminal, this thug, this gangbanger, this possible murderer,” Mullin told reporters. “That rage should be with him for endangering the five-year-old.”

Federal officials said ICE officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation in the Bronx at about 4 p.m. to arrest Belgal, whom DHS described as a Dominican national with a prior grand larceny conviction and previous arrests involving assault, robbery, drug possession and weapons possession.

Homeland Security press conference about NYC ICE shooting (POOL)

DHS said Belgal was arrested by the NYPD on Dec. 7, 2023, and released days later. The department blamed New York’s sanctuary policies for his release.

Officials said Belgal had previously evaded officers when they tried to arrest him in September. They also said he was a target of an HSI investigation into last year’s shooting of a Customs and Border Protection officer in the Lincoln Heights area.

DHS said Belgal had associations with the Trinitarios gang, which it described as the gang linked to the CBP officer’s shooting. Officials did not accuse Belgal of carrying out the shooting.

ICE officers used vehicles to block Belgal in as they attempted to make the arrest, officials said. Marcos Charles, the acting executive associate director for Homeland Security Investigations, said Belgal refused commands to leave his vehicle, then accelerated into two ICE vehicles before driving toward other officers.

The officers, using their training and believing that their lives, the lives of their partners and the general public were in danger, fired their weapons,” Charles said.

Belgal was hit “superficially” in the neck by a bullet or bullet fragment, Charles said. Officers arrested him, rendered aid and took him to a hospital, where DHS said he was alive and receiving treatment.

The FBI and HSI were on scene, according to DHS. The shooting remains under investigation.

The NYPD also released body-camera footage from the first city officers to arrive at the scene, showing the immediate aftermath of the shooting. “They responded to a 911 call for a male shot and transported the individual who was shot to the hospital to get medical care,” officials said.

Mullin said Belgal was later moved to a detention facility outside New York because of his alleged criminal history and previous attempt to flee. He said DHS would seek to prosecute him and place him in removal proceedings.

The secretary also accused Mamdani and Hochul of remaining silent after an NYPD officer was stabbed seven times last week by two immigrants whom Mullin said had prior criminal histories and had been released despite ICE detainers.

“NYPD officers are some of the finest officers we have out there,” Mullin said. “Just last week, one was stabbed seven times by illegals. One that we had a detainer on that New York released. Both had extensive criminal backgrounds.”

“Did the mayor of New York say anything about that?” he continued. “Did anybody come out for the officer that was stabbed seven times by these criminals?”

“Not a word was said,” Mullin said. “Not a word was said by the mayor. Not a word was said by the governor.”

Mullin also pushed back on Mamdani’s statement that ICE “has killed more of our neighbors than they claim to save,” calling the mayor’s language “dangerous” and accusing him of engaging in “political theater.”

Mamdani held a news conference condemning the shooting and calling for ICE to be removed from the city.

“I am angry tonight. Because today ICE shot a New Yorker,” Mamdani wrote on X. “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.”

Mullin said he offered to turn Belgal over to the NYPD if it wanted to pursue charges, but claimed Mamdani declined to have the city detain him.

The secretary also said he spoke with Hochul, who he said offered to help DHS apprehend more than 100 people in the state illegally if the agency provided notice. Mullin claimed Hochul later asked federal officials to pause enforcement, a request he rejected.

“We’re not putting a pause on enforcement,” Mullin said. “Our job is to enforce the nation’s laws.”