Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier believes that the conduct of the New York police department toward demonstrators following an ICE shooting in the district she is running to represent violated the spirit, if not the letter, of the city's sanctuary laws. These regulations prohibit local police from assisting federal immigration authorities with civil enforcement operations. Protests erupted in Manhattan's Marble Hill neighborhood after a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot 28-year-old Dominican man Oscar Belgal while he sat in a vehicle with a five-year-old child in the back seat. The child was physically unharmed, and Belgal was hospitalized in stable condition before immigration authorities reportedly took him back into custody. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Belgal was undocumented.
During Thursday night's demonstration, which drew hundreds of residents including Avila Chevalier, the NYPD established barricades and clashed with protesters demanding that ICE leave the community. Officers also assisted in carrying Belgal to an unmarked car, placing him in the back seat while he remained handcuffed. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated during a Thursday press conference that the department was not involved in the federal operation prior to the shooting and that officers arrived solely to preserve evidence, while also referencing Belgal's prior criminal record.
Avila Chevalier criticized the police commissioner's mention of past arrests during a Friday phone interview, arguing it unfairly villainized Belgal and demonstrated that Tisch was more interested in promoting a federal narrative than upholding local sanctuary policies. The NYPD defended its disclosure, stating it routinely provides such information when requested by news outlets. Avila Chevalier further argued that police inaction in protecting protesters failed to honor local sanctuary rules, writing on social media that officers spent more time protecting the agency that fired a weapon than safeguarding local residents. In the interview, she emphasized a broader goal of eliminating ICE entirely, stating that sanctuary policies would be unnecessary if the federal agency did not exist.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also reiterated calls to abolish ICE and described the shooting as unconscionable, but he faces progressive pressure regarding police reform following the protests. Numerous immigration advocates and Avila Chevalier have called for Tisch to resign and for the disbanding of the strategic response group, an elite NYPD rapid-response unit criticized for aggressive crowd control. While Mamdani has previously promised to dissolve the unit, he has not yet done so and has indicated Tisch will remain in her position, though he condemned police aggression toward Avila Chevalier after videos showed her being knocked to the ground by an officer during the demonstration.
Avila Chevalier stated she was attempting to convince officers that adding barricades was escalating tensions when she was pushed down. The NYPD reported that five protesters were arrested after agitators pushed over barriers and ignored dispersal commands, adding that Avila Chevalier was pushed back to prevent a crowd from trampling a police captain. Expressing further alarm on Friday, Avila Chevalier noted that Belgal's lawyers had been unable to locate him in custody, calling the situation deeply concerning. Despite experiencing physical pain from the incident, the long-time community organizer affirmed her commitment to standing alongside her constituents and echoing their demands for systemic change.