U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin (DHS photo by Tia Dufour)
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan that body camera footage would not tell the whole story of a Thursday shooting involving immigration agents and a criminal illegal immigrant — adding that the foreign national put his own son at risk.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent opened fire at Dominican national Oscar Belgal, 28, on Thursday, after the man alleged to have a lengthy and violent rap sheet accelerated his SUV toward multiple officers, authorities say. Mullin appeared on “Face the Nation” on Sunday to discuss the fallout over the New York City incident — which began to receive national attention especially after it was revealed Belgal’s 5-year-old son was in the backseat of the SUV.
“We had our badges out, once again, giving lawful demands. He decided that he was going to accelerate and try to evade again,” Mullin recounted Thursday’s events to Brennan. “We had taken every precaution to try to keep that from happening, and unfortunately, this took place. We would have loved for him to exit the vehicle, like we asked him to. He decided not to. Unfortunately, because of the selfish behavior, he put his 5-year-old in danger.”
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Belgal was treated for his injuries from the shooting and is currently in a detention center, according to NewsNation.
Socialist Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly denounced the shooting and presence of ICE in New York. Mamdani spoke to Mullin and President Donald Trump for two hours Thursday night, during which the socialist mayor unsuccessfully lobbied for Belgal’s release, Time reported.
Body camera footage of the incident from the point of view of the ICE agent who shot Belgal had not yet been released as of Sunday afternoon. However, footage from body cameras worn by New York Police Department (NYPD) officers who arrived on the scene was released shortly after the incident.
Belgal entered the country illegally and has alleged ties to a violent Dominican-American gang, according to the DHS.
“What you’re not seeing is the actual audio footage or a different angle, where you have multiple officers who are approaching this individual named Oscar, with a long, very long extensive rap sheet,” Mullin told Brennan after she asked him when the ICE agent’s body camera footage will be released.
He confirmed that federal authorities will release the footage once an investigation is completed.
“He’s [Belgal has] only been in the country for three years, and he has a rap sheet of four charges of felony robbery, two charges of felony assault, felony larceny … two felony charges of dangerous drugs and strong gang affiliation that has direct or indirect knowledge of a CBP [Customs and Border Protection] officer that was shot last year. And this guy evaded officers last month when we tried to get to him,” the secretary added. “We knew he was armed. We knew he was dangerous. Or there was a possibility of him being armed.”
In a Friday post to X, the DHS called Belgal “the definition of worst of the worst”
Mullin told Brennan that immigration agents did not know they would find Belgal’s young child in his vehicle, and that his father bore responsibility for putting him in the line of fire.
“We knew his pattern of life, but we didn’t know the 5-year-old was in the vehicle,” he said on CBS News. “Who did know the 5-year-old was in the vehicle was Oscar. Now as a father of six kids, no way would I ever put my kids in danger.”
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[ H/T WorldNetDaily ]
