Hundreds march in anti-ICE protest in NYC's Herald Square
Calls for ICE to leave New York City continued to grow Saturday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Herald Square, the latest in a series of protests sparked by this week's shooting of a man during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Marble Hill.
The rally followed protests Friday in Foley Square and Marble Hill, where community members, immigrant advocates and elected officials condemned the actions of federal agents and demanded greater accountability.
The demonstrations were prompted by Thursday's shooting of 28-year-old Oscar Bergal in the Marble Hill section of Manhattan.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, federal agents were attempting to take Bergal into custody when he was shot. New York police officers who responded to the scene said shots were fired into Bergal's vehicle while his 5-year-old son was sitting in the back seat.
A bullet remains lodged in Bergal's body, according to his attorney. His 5-year-old son was not injured during the shooting.
At Saturday's protest in Herald Square, demonstrators carried signs, chanted anti-ICE slogans and called for an end to immigration enforcement operations in New York City.
"All of this has always bothered me," one protester said. "We are supposed to be keeping families together. This is New York City. We are a melting pot."
Another protester urged New Yorkers to stay engaged, saying, "We do have the power to make change, because this system wants everybody to think that we don't have the power to do anything and that all of this is inevitable. And it is not."
The protests come as legal and political battles continue to unfold around the case.
On Friday, a federal judge temporarily barred the government from deporting Bergal.
DHS said Bergal, a native of the Dominican Republic, is allegedly living in the United States illegally. The agency also alleged he had ties to the Trinitarios gang and a history of prior arrests.
Meanwhile, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate with the Trump administration for Bergal's release from ICE custody following the shooting.
