Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing demands from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to dismiss New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch following a shooting involving federal immigration officers that left a 28-year-old man wounded in front of his five-year-old son.
The organisation has accused the mayor of failing to take a sufficiently forceful position against President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operations, putting him at odds with activists who supported his rise to City Hall.
In a public statement, the DSA called for Tisch’s immediate removal and urged Mamdani to use his authority to force Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of New York City.
“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 declared.
The organisation also called for the abolition of the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group and Community Response Teams, two specialised units that have become part of the wider dispute over the city’s policing policies.
Mamdani Rejects Calls to Replace Police Commissioner
Despite pressure from his political allies, Mamdani has maintained that he has no plans to replace Tisch.
Speaking on MS NOW on Sunday, the mayor explained that the NYPD was not involved in the federal immigration operation when the shooting occurred.
City officers arrived after receiving an emergency call and transported the injured man to hospital.
“The NYPD was not at the scene 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 he intended to examine the police department’s handling of the incident and the events that followed.
“What I will be doing with the police commissioner is a review of that entire 24-hour period,” he said.
Mamdani had also told The New York Times on Friday that there were no plans to change the NYPD’s leadership.
However, he reiterated his intention to disband the Strategic Response Group, while maintaining that the unit was not involved in the shooting or the immediate police response.
The mayor has pledged to examine the police response to subsequent demonstrations and the use of privately owned parking lots as staging locations for federal immigration operations.
He previously described the shooting as an “outrage” and said there was no justification for what had occurred.
Federal Agents Say They Feared for Their Lives
The shooting happened last Thursday in Marble Hill, a neighbourhood in the Bronx, during an attempted arrest involving Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old Dominican national.
Federal officials allege that Belgal attempted to escape by accelerating his vehicle and striking two government cars.
They maintain that the agents fired because they believed their lives and those of others were in danger.
Marcos Charles, head of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, defended the officers at a news conference in Washington.
“Our officers, using their training and believing that their life and the life of the partners and the general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons,” Charles said.
Belgal was struck in the neck while his five-year-old son was sitting in the back seat.
The child was not injured.
Tisch subsequently disclosed that federal officers fired seven rounds during the confrontation.
Police Footage Raises Questions About the Encounter
Surveillance footage released by the NYPD has provided some details about the confrontation, although it does not capture the moment the shots were fired.
One recording shows two plainclothes immigration officers approaching Belgal’s parked vehicle with their weapons drawn.
An officer appears to strike the car’s windows with a firearm before the vehicle accelerates and moves out of view.
Footage from another angle shows bystanders scrambling for safety moments later.
The vehicle eventually comes to a stop against a concrete barrier, with bullet holes visible in the windshield and rear passenger window.
Separate body-camera footage shows Belgal sitting on the pavement with his hands behind his back while federal agents attend to his injuries.
NYPD officers subsequently place him inside a police SUV and transport him to a nearby hospital.
One officer can be heard shouting, “Yo put pressure. Put pressure,” as the vehicle reverses down the street.
The footage released so far does not show the actual shooting, leaving key details about the use of force unresolved.
Activists Accuse Tisch of Focusing on Belgal’s Criminal Record
The controversy has extended beyond the circumstances of the shooting to questions about Belgal’s criminal history.
Federal officials allege that he was associated with a robbery crew that used mopeds and weapons.
They also say he was convicted of grand larceny last year and received five years’ probation.
Belgal has separately pleaded not guilty to narcotics-sale charges in a pending case.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democratic Socialist congressional candidate, criticised Tisch for publicly discussing the wounded man’s criminal record.
Chevalier demanded the commissioner’s resignation the day after the shooting, accusing her of shielding what she described as a “militia” of armed ICE officers.
During an interview with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, Chevalier argued that Belgal’s criminal history “doesn’t even matter” when assessing the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Her position has added to criticism from activists who want Mamdani to take a more confrontational approach towards federal immigration enforcement.
Protests Demand ICE Leave New York City
The shooting prompted demonstrations across New York City, with protesters carrying banners calling for ICE to leave the city and demanding that the federal agent responsible face indictment.
Some demonstrators also called directly for Tisch’s removal, displaying signs reading “DITCH TISCH NOW!”
The protests have centred on the presence of federal immigration officers in the city and the circumstances in which they used firearms during the attempted arrest.
Mamdani has said his administration will consider “every action the city can take to protect New Yorkers from ICE’s terror,” while continuing to review the NYPD’s handling of the incident.
The mayor has also faced criticism from some activists over his repeated meetings with Trump, including a meeting at Gracie Mansion last month.
Belgal Remains in Federal Custody
Belgal remains in federal custody in Brooklyn, according to the account provided by his legal team.
His lawyers say a bullet remains lodged in his body.
His attorney, Harold Solis, condemned the circumstances in which his client was shot while his young son was present.
“You’re not supposed to get shot in your car with your child sitting in the back. Period,” Solis said after a court hearing.
Belgal’s lawyers have challenged the legality of his detention and obtained a temporary court order preventing his removal from the United States.
Mamdani and Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul have also called on Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Trump to release him, but their efforts have not succeeded.
Mullin has defended the federal operation and accused New York officials of making immigration enforcement more dangerous by declining to cooperate fully with ICE.
The Bronx District Attorney’s Office is investigating the shooting.
Federal authorities have also pledged to release body-camera footage recorded by the immigration agents involved.
