NEW YORK, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The shooting of a migrant by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Thursday afternoon has sparked public outrage and protests in New York City.
The 28-year-old Dominican man was shot in the neck during a targeted ICE operation in the Marble Hill neighborhood of New York City, with a five-year-old child in the back seat of his car at the time.
A protest broke out at the scene on Thursday evening, and several people were arrested amid clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers.
Protests also took place at Foley Square and in Marble Hill on Friday.
Protesters called for an end to shootings of their neighbors and urged ICE to leave New York City, according to videos circulated on social media.
Demonstrators chanted "No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here" and "No ICE" on Friday.
"This incident is another reminder of the unchecked, rampant violence ICE has been spreading throughout our communities. 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," said Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition.
New York elected officials expressed concern over the use of force by ICE officers and called for an investigation, while officials from the Department of Homeland Security defended the operation.
"Immigrant New Yorkers belong here. ICE does not," New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a social media post.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday that an investigation into the actions of the ICE officers involved was underway. He also said Mamdani's remarks "are dangerous and incite hostility."
A federal district judge in New York on Friday temporarily barred the deportation of the Dominican man while his petition challenging his detention remained pending, ruling that he could not be deported without a court order. ■