Migrant thug shot by ICE in NYC still has bullet lodged in neck, lawyers say

A man shot by an ICE agent in Manhattan last week still has a bullet lodged in his neck, cannot eat and has been drinking bathroom sink water under what his lawyers describe as “horrific” jail conditions, the New York Post reports.

Oscar Belgal, 28, of the Dominican Republic, is being held in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. In a joint statement, his lawyers from the Legal Aid Society and Make the Road New York said, “Mr. Belgal is living through an unimaginable nightmare,” adding that the left side of his face is numb and he can barely hear out of his left ear. They said doctors have called for urgent surgery that was deemed too dangerous to perform without a specialist present, and that he has not eaten since Thursday.

According to authorities, Belgal was shot by plainclothes ICE agents in the Marble Hill neighbourhood on Thursday after he allegedly accelerated his vehicle toward officers while his 5-year-old son was inside. Marcos Charles, head of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division, said Belgal “smashed” into two agents, though CCTV footage obtained by the outlet reportedly does not capture this part of the incident.

Authorities said Belgal, a reputed member of the Trinitarios street gang, entered the US illegally in 2022 and has prior convictions including armed robbery and drug trafficking charges.

Belgal’s lawyers accused ICE of “deliberate indifference” and said they would continue to push for his “immediate release from detention,” citing his right to medical care and due process.