Obama judge FORBIDS deportation of illegal alien shot by ICE in the Bronx — unless court order is obtained



A man shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Thursday in the Bronx cannot be deported unless officials obtain a court order, a judge ruled Friday.

Protests erupted after the man, later identified as a 28-year-old Dominican national, was shot during a traffic stop in New York City.

'Our officers, using their training and believing that their life and the life of the partners and the general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons.'

Oscar Belgal was shot after refusing to comply with lawful orders from ICE officers who were trying to arrest him, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He was hospitalized for treatment and later released.

U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken said in a two-page order that Belgal could not be deported without a court order while he challenged his detention.

He also said Belgal could not be transferred outside of the Southern or Eastern Districts of New York or the District of New Jersey without a court order.

Officers had tried to box in Belgal with their vehicles during the operation, but the man accelerated the car before one officer shot at him.

"Our officers, using their training and believing that their life and the life of the partners and the general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons," senior ICE official Marcos Charles said.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) has been condemning ICE in numerous statements since the shooting.

"I am angry tonight," he wrote on social media. "Because today ICE shot a New Yorker. They shot a New Yorker while his five year old child was in the car. ICE makes this city less safe. We want them out. Now."

RELATED: Man shot by ICE in the Bronx — Mamdani demands Trump end all operations in NYC

DHS said the migrant had been previously arrested for assault, robbery, drug possession, and weapons possession. He also had been convicted of grand larceny.

Anti-ICE critics were outraged to learn that there was a 5-year-old boy in the vehicle during the shooting. He was unharmed.

"Regardless of whether or not someone has a criminal history, it is not lawful and it is not OK to shoot a father in an afternoon with his son in the back seat," said immigration attorney Harold Solis of Make the Road New York to reporters on Friday. "That is not how we resolve legal disputes in this country. We resolve them in buildings like these, in courtrooms."

Oetken was appointed to the court by former President Barack Obama.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Illegal alien arrested by ICE is allegedly the husband of a mayor in Texas, sources say



Armando Garza Lira was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly overstaying his visa, according to the Zavala County Sheriff's Office.

Sources told NewsNation that Lira is the husband of Jose Angel Cerda, the mayor of Crystal City.

Lira was 'unlawfully present in the United States in violation of state and federal law.'

The sheriff's office said it received complaints that someone was living unlawfully in Crystal City.

Deputies made contact with two people in a vehicle at about 7:46 p.m. and determined that one of the men was Lira.

They were advised by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that Lira was "unlawfully present in the United States in violation of state and federal law."

Lira was arrested and transported to the Zavala County Jail to await enforcement action from federal law officials.

The sheriff's office identified the other man in the car as Jose Angel Cerda and said he was released without further incident.

That name matches the name of the town's mayor. Images on social media purportedly show the two men together.

A profile for Cerda on the official Texas directory indicates that he was first elected to office in May 2025 and that his term ends in 2028.

A Blaze News request for comment from the mayor's office was not returned in time for publication.

RELATED: College football player stabbed to death allegedly by illegal alien who was given deportation pass TWICE, sources say

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images

"The Zavala County Sheriff's Office is committed to complying with Texas law regarding cooperation with federal immigration authorities," the office added.

Crystal City is located about 100 miles southwest of San Antonio and calls itself the "Spinach Capital of the World," though Alma, Arkansas, contests that title.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Man shot by ICE in the Bronx — Mamdani demands Trump end all operations in NYC



Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he called President Donald Trump and will demand the end of all immigration operations in his city after another reported shooting.

Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement surrounded a car in the Bronx and fired into it, shooting a man, according to Mamdani's version of the incident.

'Get ICE out of our hospitals. Get ICE off our streets. Get ICE away from our children. Abolish ICE.'

The man was reportedly struck by gunfire, and a 5-year-old child in the car was unharmed. The mayor said the incident unfolded in a residential neighborhood of Marble Hill.

"This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation. I have called the President; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city," he said in a statement on social media.

"I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities. Our thoughts are with the injured New Yorker and his family tonight. We are praying for his recovery," he added.

"Get ICE out of our neighborhoods," Mamdani concluded. "Get ICE out of our hospitals. Get ICE off our streets. Get ICE away from our children. Abolish ICE."

A brief statement from the New York Police Dept. added that the incident occurred at about 4 p.m.

"The NYPD was not involved in the incident and was not on scene at the time of the shooting. The individual who was shot is at a nearby hospital and is currently conscious and receiving medical attention."

Video shows anti-ICE protesters blocking federal vehicles after the shooting.

CBS News reported that the injuries to the man were not life-threatening.

RELATED: Mamdani cites the Quran and quotes Muhammed while announcing order to protect illegal aliens from ICE

Sources told CBS that ICE was attempting to apprehend another person when the man intervened and was subsequently shot.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, also released a statement.

"I've been briefed on this afternoon's shooting involving federal law enforcement agents in the Bronx," she posted on social media. "We expect federal authorities to provide a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances surrounding this incident. New Yorkers deserve to know exactly what happened and why."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Democrats Revive Nullification With Refusals To Assist Federal Immigration Enforcement

What a state cannot be permitted to do is transform a policy disagreement into an exercise of state power to nullify federal authority.

Media breathlessly reports on 'new' ICE traffic stop rules — then ICE tosses cold water on its narrative



Media reports on the death of prior traffic stop rules for immigration operations are greatly exaggerated, according to the feds.

Many in the media rushed to report on a memo outlining traffic stop rules in order to imply that the administration is reacting to criticism by weakening engagement standards.

'This memo makes no changes to how ICE conducts vehicle stops. ALL officers have always received vehicle stop training.'

The memo indicated that there were no circumstances where officers would be "authorized to engage in vehicle pursuits or [precision immobilization technique] maneuvers" against vehicles with drivers who refuse to pull over.

"ICE issues new instructions on vehicle stops after shootings, new guidance shows," said a CNN headline Thursday.

"New ICE guidance bans high-speed car chases and sets tighter rules for traffic stops, a memo obtained by the AP shows," was the headline at the Associated Press.

"ICE Forced to Rein In Two Controversial Tactics Within 24 Hours," blared out Newsweek.

When a spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement was asked to comment on the "new" rules, they said there was "nothing new" in the memo.

"Occasionally, ICE leadership issues guidance reminders to law enforcement officers," read the spokesperson's statement to ABC News. "This memo makes no changes to how ICE conducts vehicle stops. ALL officers have always received vehicle stop training."

The spokesperson added, "Vehicle stops and arrests of illegal aliens continue."

RELATED: Illegal alien bites 3-year-old's face in horrifying random attack — DHS blames Biden policies

The latest controversial shooting involved a migrant named Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, who was DoorDashing in Austin, Texas.

Perez initially complied with immigration officers' demands on September 20 but then allegedly fled in his car and also allegedly clipped an officer with the side mirror on his car. After a car chase, an officer shot him in the back.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

AOC’s latest ICE rant sounds like a campaign launch



Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s recent speech demonizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement not only infuriates the “Pat Gray Unleashed" panel, it makes them think the democratic socialist is gearing up for a presidential run.

On September 27 during More Perfect University’s “Students vs. Billionaires” series, AOC compared ICE to a black-box surveillance stack.

“ICE is an agency that has not even existed for as long as many of us have even been alive. They are a new agency created in the surveillance state establishment after 9/11,” she said. “ICE is Palantir; ICE is AI; ICE is facial recognition; ICE is surveillance — and ICE is coming after you regardless of your status.”

Pat is incensed at her calling ICE a new agency.

“They’re 25 years old — 25!” he exclaims. “That's a new agency? ... Compared to what? The fall of Rome?”

“She's also trying to pin this on Trump for starting ICE. That's what they desperately want to do,” he adds.

But it’s the progressive's comparison of ICE to Palantir, AI, facial recognition, and surveillance that really ticks him off.

“Wow, is that irresponsible,” he sighs. “It's just a flat-out communist lie. ... This is what gets people killed.”

“How she's saying it just made me think she's running for higher [office],” adds co-host Jeffy. “She’s not screeching about it.”

Pat agrees, mocking, “This darn Donald Trump and his new agencies.”

To hear more of the panel’s commentary and see the clip of AOC’s speech, watch the video above.

Want more from Pat Gray?

To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

DOJ hilariously MOCKS Newsom after he signs bills to restrict ICE operations in California



California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting mocked by a U.S. attorney after he signed new orders intended to restrict federal immigration operations in his state.

Newsom has tried to position himself as the foremost opponent to the Trump administration in an attempt to bolster his image ahead of a possible presidential run in 2028.

'Governor, we’ve been through this already. If you want to regulate federal agents, you have to win a federal election.'

Newsom's press office said Tuesday that he issued new restrictions on "flash-bang grenades and explosive breaching charges" that included their use in immigration enforcement.

First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli responded with ridicule.

"Or what? You’re going to write us a ticket," he replied on social media.

The governor also touted 21 bills he signed to "protect Californians from Trump’s Orwellian immigration tactics."

Essayli responded again with mockery.

"Governor, we’ve been through this already. If you want to regulate federal agents, you have to win a federal election," he wrote.

"Until then, you have no jurisdiction," Essayli added. "Accordingly, I have advised DHS to disregard your bill attempting to ban safe and effective less-lethal tools that agents need to escalate dangerous situations."

Among the steps Newsom took was a restriction on shock gloves approved for use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and also a 25% tax on private detention centers he claimed was the first of its kind in the nation.

RELATED: DHS has a fiery message for Newsom after he bans masks for ICE: 'We will NOT comply!'

The governor has also expanded public access to detention centers in an attempt to increase transparency and increase "health, safety, and oversight requirements" for civil detention facilities.

The governor has admitted that he's considering running for president but said he would bow out if Kamala Harris ran again.

"Why would I? I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t do that to you; I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time," said Newsom to Jake Tapper. "Who needs that?"

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Bodycam video captures DoorDashing 'illegal alien' clipping officer who shot afterward, DOJ says



A federal criminal complaint alleges that a DoorDash driver who is said to be in the U.S. illegally struck an immigration officer with his vehicle’s side mirror as he fled a traffic stop — an encounter that ended with him being shot.

The shooting of 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez has led to outrage and protests from critics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The other officer who was wearing a body camera caught up to the scene only after the shooting had occurred.

The complaint claims bodycam video from the Sept. 20 incident in Austin, Texas, shows Perez clipping an officer with the side mirror of his vehicle when he tries to flee from the traffic stop.

The complaint says the law enforcement operation began when immigration officers saw Perez parked with his hazard lights on and discovered through a database check that he had an active deportation order.

The initial interaction was described as "pleasant and not aggressive" in the complaint.

Perez asked officers to allow him to wait for his wife to arrive to retrieve his vehicle, but they refused, which led him to "abruptly" close the window and hit the gas, the complaint claimed.

One of the officers was struck on his torso by the side mirror as the man fled, the complaint also claimed.

Perez allegedly led them on a car chase for about eight minutes before he was shot by an officer who was not wearing a body camera, the complaint continued. The other officer who was wearing a body camera caught up to the scene only after the shooting occurred.

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an attorney for Perez, previously said that he was seeking asylum and had a valid work permit. She added that he was ordered to be deported because a notice to appear in immigration court had been sent to his previous address and he missed the hearing.

The DHS responded that his work permit had expired in 2025 and added that a work permit did not confer any legal status on immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security had previously described Perez as an "illegal alien from Venezuela, who illegally entered our country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal."

In court on Tuesday, Lincoln-Goldfinch claimed that Perez remains in "extremely bad medical condition" after the gunshot wound and has been asking for surgery to remove the bullet, the AP reported.

Lincoln-Goldfinch did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News about the allegations in the complaint.

RELATED: DHS Sec. Mullin CRUSHES 'open borders' Democrat pushing 'radical' anti-ICE bill

Perez was charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, and impeding a federal officer. If he's convicted of the charge, Perez faces up to 20 years in prison.

He alleges that officers crashed into his car and caused it to spin before he was shot in the back. Perez was taken into custody after receiving treatment at a hospital.

The complaint included still-frames from police footage of the incident, but the bodycam footage was not released.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Are America's jails being run by foreigners?



Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained yet another Cumberland County, Maine, corrections officer.

Dannick Massamba-Bankela, who was detained on Tuesday, is the fifth noncitizen Cumberland County corrections officer detained by ICE since April 2025, highlighting a controversial hiring pattern in the jurisdiction. Previous arrests generated tension between Sheriff Kevin Joyce and the ICE office in Scarborough, Maine.

'Illegal aliens have no place in our communities, especially in positions of law enforcement.'

Massamba-Bankela, who migrated from the Republic of the Congo, was ordered to report to Scarborough's ICE processing facility on September 19. Protesters, who gather daily across the street from the ICE building, showered the detainee with support.

"It's not his fault that the U.S. government delays forever in scheduling these asylum interviews," Massamba-Bankela's lawyer, Christina Corbaci, told Maine Public. "So what is a person supposed to do? He's putting down ties. He's moving forward with his life. He's integrating into the community exactly like we ask immigrants to do, fully."

As of Monday, Massamba-Bankela is being held at Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island, according to ICE's detainee locator. The Congolese national was previously held at Massachusetts' Plymouth County Correctional Facility, according to the Maine Wire.

The five detained corrections officers in Cumberland County hailed either from the Congo or Angola. Some entered the U.S. on tourist or student visas before claiming asylum. At least one, Angolan national Emanuel Ludovic Mbuangi Landila, illegally entered the country via the southern border in 2019, the Bangor Daily News reported, citing the Department of Homeland Security.

Sheriff Joyce claimed that the four officers detained prior to Massamba-Bankela displayed work authorization sufficient for their employment with Cumberland County. Massamba-Bankela's lawyer told Maine Public that her client also possessed valid work authorization.

Work authorization does not override a visa overstay or legalize an alien's presence in the country, according to ICE.

RELATED: Retiree radicalism: Behind the scenes with Maine's anti-ICE activists

Benjamin Roberts/Blaze Media

The ICE facility in Scarborough is not a detention center. At least two of the affected corrections officers were processed by agents there and either transferred to permanent custody elsewhere or, in the case of illegal entrant Landila, released on bond.

Landila was detained on January 21, released on bond in February, and ultimately returned to his training program by April, according to the Portland Press Herald. He remains subject to removal pending a final asylum decision.

All five of the detained men were hired by Democrat Sheriff Kevin Joyce, who first took office in 2010. He is running for re-election.

“I guess if you’re not the card-carrying, you know, U.S. citizen, then you must be illegal. Because that’s what they told me is he’s illegal — and he’s definitely not a criminal," Joyce said in January after Landila's arrest. "So what part of him is illegal? I don’t know.”

"This was a show of force, a show of whatever they were trying to do with seven people," Joyce said.

The Maine Criminal Justice Academy dropped English reading and writing tests as a requirement for certification in 2024, shortly before the county's spate of noncitizen hiring.

After that requirement was cut, Joyce claimed to have hired over 20 immigrants as corrections officers in just one year.

RELATED: Mexican national accused of sexually assaulting woman on Mackinac Island

Getty Images

Though the county doesn't sponsor visas, it also doesn't screen for citizenship or legal status. The job posting states that applicants must be "authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S.," but doesn't inquire about green cards, an applicant's right to remain in the country, or pending asylum/immigration decisions.

The Cumberland County jail faced a severe staffing shortage prior to its noncitizen hiring spree.

"Under President Trump and Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin, ICE is restoring law and order. Illegal aliens have no place in our communities, especially in positions of law enforcement," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Blaze News. "Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App."

Maine isn't the only state that allows noncitizens to serve in the prison system. Texas employs about 1,600 foreign nationals in its prison system, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"The United States is offering illegal aliens $3,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right, legal way to live the American dream," the DHS said. "If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”

Cumberland County, the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, and Massamba-Bankela's legal representative did not respond to requests for comment.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Cattle industry groups issue WARNING about beef prices over ICE operations in Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma



A group of cattle industry organizations said that federal immigration operations could interfere with the beef supply and push prices even higher.

The joint statement from cattle industry groups in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas said they were closely monitoring Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities in their states.

'These ICE operations are having a massive chilling effect on the legal, documented, skilled workers that put beef on the table and keep the cattle supply chain moving.'

"Our organizations respect the responsibility of federal agencies to enforce the law. At the same time, cattle producers, feedyards, dairies, livestock markets, processors, and other rural businesses depend on a stable workforce to care for animals, protect food safety, and keep the supply chains operating," read the joint statement.

"Sudden workforce disruptions can create immediate animal-welfare, operational, and economic consequences that extend well beyond an individual business," they added. "These ICE operations are having a massive chilling effect on the legal, documented, skilled workers that put beef on the table and keep the cattle supply chain moving."

The groups said the disruptions will lead to higher beef prices for consumers.

"These disruptions come at a time of enhanced focus and pressure on the cattle and beef supply chain," they continued. "They are a costly and unnecessary impact to cattle producers already suffering from unwelcome political interference to both the markets as well as the physical supply chain. Frustratingly, the harm these actions cause to cattle producers last for days and weeks after such operations conclude."

The statement called on federal authorities to respect due process and conduct enforcement operations in a lawful and orderly manner.

Beef prices are already historically high after cattle production in the U.S. dropped over the past few years. The price of a pound of beef has risen about 37.8% from 2013 through 2026.

The groups claimed that immigration operations had already resulted in millions of dollars in lost revenue and added cost for the cattle industry.

RELATED: Trump plans to SLASH regulations to ease beef prices after Glenn Beck's impassioned plea

.@POTUS tells me he will look into SLASHING harmful regulations in the beef industry that lead to high prices. I know firsthand how rigged the system is against independent American farmers. Four massive corporations control almost the entire meat processing industry. If… pic.twitter.com/xxNBrhWUI4
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) August 26, 2026

President Donald Trump said to Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck on his radio program in August that he would seek to deregulate meat processing rules in order to increase the beef supply.

"I know firsthand how rigged the system is against independent American farmers," said Beck about the interview with Trump. "Four massive corporations control almost the entire meat processing industry. If President Trump can cut these regulations, it would be a HUGE WIN."

Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!