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NEW YORK (May 9, 2026) — Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sharply rebuked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday, calling his public comments about an ICE-involved shooting "dangerous" and accusing the mayor of playing "political theater" amid an already tense standoff over federal immigration enforcement.
At a Friday press conference, Mullin did not hold back. "I am speaking facts; the mayor speaks with political tone," he said. "His words are dangerous and incite hostility; it doesn't help."
The dispute centers on a Thursday incident in which an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, later identified as Oscar Belgal, in the neck while Belgal was driving with a 5-year-old child in the car. Belgal, who has a criminal record, was taken to a local hospital. The child was unharmed and remains with a family member, authorities said.
Mamdani came out swinging Thursday night, accusing ICE of using unjustified tactics and demanding answers. He said he had directly spoken with President Trump and Mullin in an effort to get Belgal released, but those attempts failed. Mullin offered a different account: Trump was willing to transfer Belgal to NYPD custody — but only if the city agreed to pursue charges.
According to Mullin, Mamdani did not take that deal. The secretary also claimed Belgal may have been living in the U.S. for the past three years and had engaged in what he described as "extensive criminal activity" during that time.
"You have a mayor who calls somebody a New Yorker that's been in the country illegally for three years, with extensive criminal activity," Mullin said, going after Mamdani's framing of Belgal as a city resident.
Mamdani has also called for the abolishment of ICE, and at Thursday's press conference he reportedly said the agency is "rotten to the core." That drew a forceful pushback from Mullin.
"Really? The men and women of ICE each day are enforcing the laws that he refuses to enforce," Mullin said. "We arrest thousands weekly that are criminals, going after the worst of the worst, and he turns a blind eye to it."
The mayor has pressed ICE to release the agency's body-camera footage from the encounter. The NYPD responded Friday by releasing body-camera video recorded by its own officers in the moments immediately after the shooting. It was not immediately clear whether ICE had made its officers' recordings public.
Mullin said ICE was carrying out a lawful order at the time and that Belgal had previously evaded officers. He also said federal agents were not aware a child was in the vehicle during the confrontation. The officers involved, he added, have been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
The secretary placed much of the blame on Belgal, saying the driver knew the child was in the car when he accelerated to a "high speed" and fled.
"The public outcry should be also toward this criminal, this thug, this gang-banger, this possible murderer," Mullin said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Belgal had pleaded guilty to grand larceny in a prior case. She added that an investigation into the criminal sale of drugs involving Belgal is ongoing and has since been taken over by federal agents.
The episode has quickly become the latest flashpoint between the Trump administration and progressive city leaders over immigration policy. New York has long been a sanctuary city, with local officials limiting cooperation with federal enforcement actions, and Friday's rhetoric suggests the confrontation is far from over.
Mullin made clear he sees the mayor, not federal officers, as the obstacle. "His words are dangerous and incite hostility; it doesn't help," he repeated, hammering home the point that public officials should be easing tensions, not inflaming them.
As of this writing, Mamdani's office has not issued a formal response to Mullin's latest remarks beyond the mayor's earlier statements and calls for transparency. The city's police department has said its review of the incident remains active.
