AOC Criticizes Target Amid Bronx ICE Shooting
AOC calls for Target to stop using Bronx stores for ICE operations after shooting near store.
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A 28-year-old Dominican national, Oscar Belgal, was shot by ICE agents during a traffic stop in the Bronx on Thursday at approximately 4:20 p.m. Belgal, who is tied to the Trinitarios gang, was arrested and taken to a nearby hospital, where he is expected to survive. A 5-year-old boy, believed to be his son, was in the vehicle and was not injured.
Bronx: West 225th Street& Marble Hill Avenue, a man was shot and injured during a targeted @ICEgov enforcement operation earlier today, sparking chaos on the streets of the Bronx.
DHS reported that Belgal has a conviction for grand larceny and prior arrests for assault, robbery, drug possession, and weapons possession. Sources told the New York Post that agents were also looking into whether he is linked to the migrant moped crew responsible for shooting an off-duty Border Patrol agent at Fort Washington Park last year.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) criticized the incident, calling for a full and independent investigation and the immediate release of all body camera footage. She also blamed Target for allowing its Bronx properties to be used as staging sites for ICE operations.
My statement on the ICE shooting in Marble Hill ⬇️ https://t.co/eDXEv5Vxrr
“Target opening up large, active retail parking lots for paramilitary activity is unacceptable and places the entire community at risk,” she said. AOC also called ICE a “rogue, lawless paramilitary and surveillance agency” that “does not belong in New York City and it should not exist in the United States of America. Abolish ICE.”
The Target store in question is about half a mile from where the shooting occurred. A representative for the retail giant told the New York Post, “Target has no cooperative agreements with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency.”
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani also supported Belgal, stating he had tried to reach President Trump to demand an end to ICE enforcement in the city. “I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities,” he said.
About 300 protesters gathered outside the hospital, and many clashed with police. The incident has drawn attention to ongoing tensions between ICE and local communities, with critics arguing that the agency’s presence is growing more dangerous.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
