Protests in New York demand justice after ICE agent shooting of a Dominican man
Hundreds of citizens mobilized this Friday through the streets of Lower Manhattan to express their frontal rejection of the tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The demonstration, marked by a tone of indignation, arises following the recent incident in which an agent shot at a Dominican citizen while he was traveling in his vehicle accompanied by his five-year-old son in the Bronx.
The protesters demanded that the New York Attorney General’s Office launch an independent investigation into the incident. During the march, attendees carried signs pointing directly at the officer involved, identified as Brendan Cuni, whom they accuse of attempted murder. The signs emphasized the danger to which the minor, who was in the backseat during the operation, was exposed.
Bronx incident details
The incident occurred in the Marble Hill neighborhood, when ICE agents, dressed in construction vests, intercepted 28-year-old Oscar Bengal. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) version, Bengal is linked to the Los Trinitarios gang. Federal authorities maintain that the driver used his vehicle as a weapon and attempted to ram the officers, causing one of them to discharge their firearm.
After receiving a superficial impact to the neck, Bengal was initially taken to a hospital and subsequently to a detention center. Although his transfer out of state was initially planned, a court order allowed him to remain in New York, and he is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.
What is happening in this country and our city is generating deep fear and terror in the community. We cannot accept that people are afraid to leave their homes, to go to work, or to take their children to school.
Fabián Arias, activist and priestCommunity and organization demands
The march, organized by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), concluded in front of the ICE offices with chants calling for an end to the agency’s operations on the streets. The protest leaders were clear in their demands:
- An independent investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Office.
- The immediate release of all recordings of the incident.
- Filing of criminal charges against the officer who fired.
- Greater protection for city residents against ICE actions.
Natalia Aristizábal, from the organization Make the Road New York, denounced that the current situation is a response to an increase in arrests since the beginning of the current administration, pointing out that thousands of people have been intercepted on the streets of the Big Apple under this context of migratory tension.
