Authorities identify illegal alien shot by ICE as Dominican Republic national Oscar Belgal

The Department of Homeland Security on Friday identified the illegal migrant who was shot by an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officer this week in New York as 28-year-old Oscar Belgal from the Dominican Republic.

The incident occurred in the Marble Hill area of the Bronx in New York City on Thursday, during a targeted enforcement operation. Belgal, who was the focus of the stop, was superficially struck by one of the bullets or fragments in the neck. A child was also in the vehicle at the time of the stop, but the child was unharmed. 

The department claimed Belgal had been arrested twice over the last three years and was charged with selling fentanyl, heroin and cocaine to an undercover narcotics detective. He was convicted in April 2025 and sentenced to five years of probation, and was out on supervised release.

He also allegedly has associations with the Trinitarios gang, which shot a Customs and Border Protection officer last year, and Belgal was the target of an ICE Homeland Security Investigations probe into the shooting of the CBP officer.

The DHS has defended its officers' actions, stating they attempted to arrest him peacefully at first, but he allegedly refused lawful orders to exit his vehicle, then accelerated and smashed into two government vehicles.

Belgal then allegedly weaponized his vehicle and moved his car toward other officers, who, believing that their lives and the lives of their partners and the general public were in danger, used their training and fired their weapons. He then stopped his vehicle and officers reportedly rendered first aid and arrested him.

“Sanctuary politicians create an environment for criminal activity to thrive, not for American citizens to be safe," DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement. "President Trump made it clear that he would restore law and order in our cities and in our states. 

"When you have sanctuary cities and politicians, you endanger the safety of the public," he continued. “The men and women of ICE and DHS are out there every day enforcing our nation’s laws. They’re not picking and choosing which laws to enforce, like these sanctuary politicians ... Our job every single day is to protect the homeland. There is nothing that should be controversial about protecting our homeland."

New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called for the release of the illegal alien, who is being held at a detention facility outside the state of New York.

“What happened today was an outrage,” Mamdani said Thursday night. “We know that ICE is rotten to its core. Today’s shooting is only further devastating confirmation of what we have long known.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.