Caribbean immigration advocates condemn ICE shooting in New York

NEW YORK, United States (CMC) — Caribbean immigrant advocates have strongly condemned the shooting of a man by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the Bronx, New York, calling for an immediate investigation and accountability for those involved. The shooting occurred on Thursday in the Marble Hill neighbourhood of the Bronx, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD). In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, the NYPD said its officers were neither involved in the incident nor present when the shooting occurred. “The individual who was shot is at a nearby hospital, and is currently conscious and receiving medical attention,” the NYPD said. President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Murad Awawdeh, condemned the incident, describing ICE’s enforcement tactics as a threat to public safety. “ICE’s violent tactics are a clear danger to all New Yorkers, as today’s shooting in a residential neighbourhood demonstrates. “This incident is another reminder of the unchecked, rampant violence ICE has been spreading throughout our communities,” Awawdeh told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC). He pointed to previous shootings involving federal immigration officers in other states, arguing that urgent action was needed to prevent further incidents. “We have seen the devastating consequences of ICE shootings from Minnesota to Texas, which have led to the unnecessary deaths of too many community members. “We demand an immediate investigation into the shooting, the release of the body camera footage and accountability for any ICE agents who used excessive force. We must abolish ICE and strengthen the safety of all New Yorkers.” Deputy Director of immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New York, Yaritza Mendez, also denounced the shooting, saying that while the incident was disturbing, it was not unexpected. “For the past year and a half ICE has been given a green light by this administration to assault and murder immigrants and those who are standing up for our communities,” she told CMC. “We are calling for a thorough investigation into the events of this afternoon, and for accountability for those responsible,” she added. Mendez accused the Trump administration of enabling aggressive immigration enforcement tactics and creating an atmosphere of fear within immigrant communities. “These are not officials who have gone rogue; this is an agency that has been armed to the teeth and given an unlimited budget in service of a xenophobic agenda,” Mendez added. “The violence is the point. Terrorising our families is the point.” “ICE has no place in our city. Full stop. These lawless armed agents are kidnapping our family members in broad daylight. We have seen this again and again—in Minnesota, in Texas, in Maine, and now in New York,” she said. Mendez also pointed to reports that the man was inside a vehicle with a five-year-old child in the back seat when ICE agents opened fire. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said residents of Marble Hill had been expressing concerns about increased immigration enforcement activity in the community for several months. “Residents of Marble Hill have been raising the alarm about a growing ICE presence in their neighbourhood for months. “To meet its mass deportation targets, the Trump administration is rushing thousands of new agents onto our streets with little to no training, giving them free rein and a mandate to terrorise our communities,” he said. “We have seen what happens when ICE operates unchecked. New Yorkers won’t stand for it.” New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani also expressed concern over the shooting, saying preliminary reports suggested that ICE agents surrounded the man’s vehicle before opening fire. According to Mamdani, a five-year-old child was inside the vehicle at the time. “We believe the child was physically unharmed. This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation. I have called the president (Trump); when we speak, I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city,” Mamdani said. Meanwhile, the NYIC said more than two dozen people have been shot by federal immigration officers over the past year, many while inside their vehicles. The organisation said six people have died in those incidents.