New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani picked the wrong illegal immigrant to defend, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday, saying the man the mayor sought to free came to the U.S. illegally several years ago, amassed a lengthy criminal record and tried to run down ICE officers this week.
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Department of Homeland Security Press Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Friday pushed back on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani who had lambasted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the agency opened fire and shot an individual in the city.
Mamdani said on Thursday that ICE has "killed far more of our neighbors than they could ever have claimed to save," and reiterated his call to abolish the agency.
"His words are dangerous and incite hostility," Mullin said during a Friday press conference. "Well mayor, if you abolish ICE, who's going to take criminals off the streets of your own town?"
Oscar Belgal, the individual shot by ICE on Thursday, refused to get out of his vehicle and ran into two government vehicles, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Executive Associate Director Marcos Charles said during the press conference on Friday.
The man "refused lawful orders to exit his vehicle," Charles said. "He then accelerated his vehicle, smashing into two of our government ICE vehicles and then weaponized his vehicle and proceeded to accelerate going towards other officers," he said.
Mullin explained that authorities were not aware there was a child in the vehicle at the time of the incident, but pointed out that "Oscar knew he had a child in his car."
Mullin said that Belgal, who is from the Dominican Republic, entered the U.S. illegally and has since perpetrated "crime after crime."
The man "evaded law enforcement before when we attempted to arrest him in September," Charles noted.
