NEW YORK (VINnews) — Social media users directed a wave of hostile messages at New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch over the weekend, calling her an “ICE collaborator,” a “fascist,” and an “heir to a Zionist billionaire” after federal agents shot a man during an immigration enforcement action in the Bronx.
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The comments followed the Oct. 8 shooting of Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old Dominican national, in the Marble Hill neighborhood. Belgal was seated in a vehicle with his 5-year-old son when agents fired; the child was unharmed. Belgal was wounded in the neck, treated at a hospital, and later taken into federal custody. City and police officials, including Tisch, stated that the NYPD had no role in the federal operation and was not present when the shots were fired.
Hate-filled messages mounted on X and other social media sites over the weekend – after federal agents shot and injured a suspected criminal migrant in The Bronx last week.
One disgruntled X user railed against Tisch as a “fascist” and called her a nepo baby in a foulmouthed tirade that hurled F-bombs at the NYPD, ICE and the commissioner.
“ICE collaborator, a fascist collaborator and heir to a zionist billionaire,” another user called Tisch.
A slew of other liberals joined the chorus calling for the commissioner’s ousting.
“NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch MUST resign,” Amani al-Khatahtbeh, an author and founder of Muslim Girls, a blog for Muslim women, posted on X.
Mamdani’s political home – the Democratic Socialists of America — joined that call to push out Tisch, who started the role in November 2024, on Sunday.
Tisch, who took office in November 2024, comes from a prominent Jewish family long involved in business, philanthropy, and civic life in New York. She has publicly described herself as a proud Jew and has worn a Star of David necklace at official events. Online critics and some progressive activists have repeatedly highlighted her background and her past comments on campus protests in their calls for her removal.
The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, the political organization associated with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, issued a statement urging the mayor to dismiss her. “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,” the group said. The Mamdani administration has rejected those demands, stating that Tisch remains the police commissioner and that there are no plans to replace her.
The shooting prompted protests and online speculation that local officers had assisted federal agents, despite repeated statements from city officials that the NYPD was not involved in the enforcement action itself. Federal authorities have described Belgal as having a prior criminal record, including a conviction related to grand larceny.
Tisch has previously spoken about rising antisemitic incidents in the city and the need to protect Jewish institutions. The latest online attacks continue a pattern of criticism directed at her from segments of the political left that have pressed Mamdani over policing and Israel-related issues.
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