DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says agents "identified ourselves and gave lawful orders" and that ICE will not pause enforcement

Markwayne MullinU.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, at a press conference at ICE headquarters in Washington

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said at a press conference at ICE headquarters that agents identified themselves and gave lawful orders as they approached the vehicle, that there was no question who was approaching, and that a person who flees knows officers will not give up on him. He said ICE is not pausing enforcement in New York and is not sorry, because its job is to enforce the nation's laws and go after the worst of the worst.

“We identified ourselves and gave lawful orders as we approached the vehicle. There was no question who was approaching the vehicle. ... When you flee, especially for a criminal like him, he knows that officers aren't going to give up on him ... We're not putting a pause on enforcement ... In fact, I'm not sorry. Our job is to enforce the nation's laws and go after the worst of the worst, and our men and women do a dang good job at it every single day, and we will not stop doing our job.”

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)ICE agent fired 7 rounds into car with 5-year-old inside in Marble Hill, authorities sayParagraphs on Secretary Markwayne Mullin's account of the shooting, including the quotation beginning 'We identified ourselves'.

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)ICE won't pause enforcement in NY after Bronx shooting: DHS's MullinParagraphs quoting Secretary Markwayne Mullin's press conference remarks on enforcement in New York.
An NYPD officer stands near vehicles and bystanders at the Marble Hill shooting scene.
Credit: New York City Police Department body-worn camera footage

Where this statement fits

Was ICE justified in shooting a man in a car in Marble Hill?

On October 8, 2026, an ICE officer shot a man in a car near Marble Hill Avenue and West 225th Street in Marble Hill, a neighborhood the NYPD placed in the Bronx and ABC News and The Intercept placed in upper Manhattan. DHS said ICE officers were conducting a targeted operation in the Bronx to arrest a man from the Dominican Republic with a prior grand larceny conviction and multiple prior arrests, and that an officer discharged his weapon during the incident. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said early reports indicated agents surrounded the man and his 5-year-old child in the car before firing multiple rounds. The NYPD said it was not involved and that the man was conscious at a hospital. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch later said evidence at the scene indicates at least one ICE agent discharged seven rounds, striking the driver in the neck. At a press conference on October 9, ICE's Marcos Charles said the man accelerated into two ICE vehicles and toward other officers, and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the agents feared for their lives. A federal judge later barred ICE from removing the man from the country or moving him outside New York and New Jersey while his habeas corpus petition proceeds.

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Source and context

Reporting

ICE agent fired 7 rounds into car with 5-year-old inside in Marble Hill, authorities say (opens in a new tab)Paragraphs on Secretary Markwayne Mullin's account of the shooting, including the quotation beginning 'We identified ourselves'.

About this source

ABC7 New York report of October 9, 2026 with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's account of the shooting, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch's account and DHS's statement.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Reporting

ICE won't pause enforcement in NY after Bronx shooting: DHS's Mullin (opens in a new tab)Paragraphs quoting Secretary Markwayne Mullin's press conference remarks on enforcement in New York.

About this source

CNBC report of October 9, 2026 on Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's press conference at ICE headquarters, with his remarks on enforcement in New York and Gov. Kathy Hochul's request that he halt ICE operations in the state.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Before the quotation

Mullin spoke the morning after the shooting, after Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he had spent two hours on the phone with Mullin and President Trump seeking the man's release and Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had urged them to halt ICE operations in New York.

After the quotation

ABC7 New York reported that Mullin said the agents were in fear for their lives and were not aware a child was in the car, and that agents first tried to detain the man in September but he fled.

How this statement is classified

Defended or excused

The label describes this statement's response within the context above.

Why this label?

The reference point is whether the ICE officer was justified in shooting the man in the car. Mullin says agents identified themselves and gave lawful orders, that the man fled and knew officers would not give up, and that ICE will not pause enforcement or apologize, which supports the officer's conduct as justified, so we labeled it Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, which would fit a dispute with critics' description of the shooting; he goes on to defend the operation itself, so it loses.

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More from this case

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The Legal Aid Society says the Marble Hill shooting raises "grave concerns about the reckless endangerment of children and families"

The Legal Aid Society

“Mr. Belgal's five-year-old child was in the vehicle when ICE fired on it, raising grave concerns about the reckless endangerment of children and families during immigration enforcement operations. ... We call for a full and transparent investigation into the shooting of Mr. Belgal, accountability for those responsible, and an end to federal immigration enforcement tactics that put the safety and well-being of New Yorkers at risk.”
Read statement

Darializa Avila Chevalier says agents in a targeted arrest "would have known" the man was a father

Darializa Avila Chevalier

“If this was a targeted arrest, then they would have known who they were arresting ... They would have known that he was a father; they would have known where he was going and who might be with him. They would have known that, at the time he was driving there, it would be a very public space. It would have been a time of people passing by who are coming from home and school. It just shows that these people are not only cruel, they're also idiots. They're idiots who do not care what the impact is on our community.”
Read statement

Cite this record

Publisher
The Dispute Index
Title
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says agents "identified ourselves and gave lawful orders" and that ICE will not pause enforcement
First published
Last updated
Permalink
https://disputeindex.com/events/5284-homeland-security-secretary-markwayne-mullin-said-at-a

Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.

The Dispute Index. "DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says agents "identified ourselves and gave lawful orders" and that ICE will not pause enforcement". First published: 2026-10-09. Last updated: 2026-10-09. https://disputeindex.com/events/5284-homeland-security-secretary-markwayne-mullin-said-at-a