WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Democratic Socialists of America are demanding that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani “fire NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch” over a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shooting last week.
The DSA called out Mamdani, who is a member of the group, on Saturday, posting on X, “We demand that Mayor Zohran Mamdani fire NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and use every power available to him to drive ICE out of New York City. We further demand the mayor abolish the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group (SRG) and Community Response Team (CRT).”
An ICE officer shot an alleged gang member and illegal immigrant Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old from the Dominican Republic, in New York City on Thursday afternoon, according to the agency. He was hit in the neck while his 5-year-old son was in the car, who was unharmed. Belgal was hospitalized before unmarked ICE vehicles took him into custody from NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital.
The Department of Homeland Security said the shooting occurred while ICE had been attempting to arrest Belgal, who they claimed has ties to the Trinitarios gang.
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference following the shooting, “NYPD had no involvement in the federal operation prior to the shooting.”
The NYPD previously told the New York Post that Belgal had been arrested for robbery in 2023, for which he pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny and received five years’ probation, and for criminal sale of a controlled substance last year, which is still pending.
DSA member and Democratic candidate for New York’s 13th Congressional District, Darializa Avila Chevalier, called for Tisch to resign on Friday, accusing her of protecting an ICE “militia,” the Post reported.
Chevalier also said during an interview with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker that Belgal’s criminal history “doesn’t even matter,” and accused the NYPD of villainizing him.
On Sunday, Mamdani was asked on MS NOW about Avila Chevalier’s comments, but he did not change his plans to keep Tisch on the job despite pledging to investigate NYPD’s response to the shooting and ensuing protests.
“The NYPD was not at the scene when the incident took place when the incident took place, when ICE shot at Mr. Belgal and his 5-year-old son in the car,” Mamdani said.
He added that after NYPD received a 911 call, officers arrived at the scene and took Belgal to the hospital.
“What I will be doing with the police commissioner is a review of that entire 24[-hour] period,” Mamdani said.
The mayor said the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group was not involved in the incident or response, but added that he still intends to disband it.
Mamdani told The New York Times on Friday that “there are no plans” to change NYPD leadership.
“And I want to be very clear that our administration, alongside the commissioner, alongside the PD, will review all of the events of the last 24 hours, including ICE’s shooting, the Police Department’s response to that incident and the ensuing protest, the staging of ICE operations in privately owned parking lots, and every action the city can take to protect New Yorkers from ICE’s terror,” he said.