An ICE agent shoots a Dominican immigrant next to his five-year-old son in New York

BarcelonaAn ICE agent, the United States immigration police, has shot a Dominican immigrant who was in a car with his five-year-old son in the Marble Hill neighborhood, in New York. The victim is unconscious in the hospital, where he is receiving medical attention, according to the New York Police, which has distanced itself from the events and has requested that they be investigated to clarify the responsibilities.

The child emerged unharmed from the shooting and is with a relative, as explained by the New York Police Chief in a press conference in which she detailed that at least one of the ICE agents fired seven shots, and that they wounded the victim in the left ear.

New York Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, said that initial reports indicate that ICE agents surrounded the victim and the five-year-old child, who were in the car, before firing several times. Mamdani, who traveled to the scene of the incident, said that the actions of the ICE agents were "unacceptable and very serious" and once again demanded that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, "put an end to all ICE enforcement actions in New York".

"I will not stand idly by while ICE agents terrorize our communities," the Mayor of New York has warned. Like Mamdani, the Governor of New York State, Kathy Hochul, has also demanded that federal authorities provide "a full and transparent explanation" regarding the events. Both administrations are sanctuary jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

In a statement, ICE justifies the shooting by saying it was an operation to arrest "an undocumented criminal" from the Dominican Republic who had a prior conviction for theft and several arrests for assault, robbery, and possession of drugs and weapons. The agency, however, does not detail whether there was any incident that explains why the agents fired.

Shortly after the events, a group of protesters gathered in the area where the incident took place to denounce the actions of the ICE agents and demand accountability. First, they gathered where the ICE agents had shot the Dominican immigrant, and then in front of the hospital where he had been taken. A part of the protesters blocked the entrance to the medical center, with signs reading "ICE Out," and some also confronted the police.

Immigration tightening

The shooting in New York is framed within a context of hardening immigration policies driven by the Trump administration. This week, ICE leaders ordered agents to increase arrests by 1,000 people per day, according to CNN, a decision with which Trump aims to redouble efforts to fulfill his promises on immigration matters, despite the certain unease they generate among Republicans.

According to data from the Deportation Data Project initiative, which collects public and anonymous data on the enforcement of immigration laws in the United States, ICE arrests in New York State have increased from 865 in April to 1,552 in July.