The incident occurred in the Marble Hill neighborhood, near Manhattan, during an intervention to detain the man, identified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a Dominican citizen with irregular immigration status and prior convictions.
A DHS spokesperson confirmed to AFP that an agent used his firearm during the operation. The man received immediate assistance and was transported to a local hospital. However, federal authorities did not specify what prompted the shots.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani described the incident as "outrageous" and denounced that the agents surrounded the vehicle before opening fire. He also criticized them for wearing masks that concealed their faces and warned of the danger to families in the area after school dismissal.
In a statement, Mamdani announced that he would demand President Donald Trump to end ICE operations in the city. The mayor also stated that negotiations with federal authorities to secure the release of the injured man had failed.
Meanwhile, DHS stated that the man was allegedly linked to the Trinitarios gang and recalled that he had been arrested by the New York Police in December 2023, although he was released days later.
Hours after the shooting, hundreds of people gathered to protest against the actions of immigration police. Tensions rose outside the hospital where the injured man was treated when some protesters tried to block several vehicles from leaving.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul demanded a transparent investigation to clarify the circumstances of the shooting. The incident further exacerbates the confrontation between the city's Democratic authorities and the Trump administration over ICE operations and deportation policies.