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The head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is blasting leading New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for his “deafening” silence in the wake of Saturday night’s shooting of a Customs and Border Protection officer in a city park.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said, “The silence from Zohran Mamdani is not just deafening, it’s deliberate, disturbing, and sadly predictable.”
Lyons went on to say that Mamdani’s “reckless anti-law enforcement policy positions would endanger legal, law-abiding New Yorkers.”
“His silence in the face of this brutal attack speaks volumes about where his priorities lie, and it’s not with public safety and the American people,” said Lyons.
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This comes after an alleged attempted robbery by two criminal illegal immigrants, Dominican nationals Cristian Aybar Berroa and Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, led to a shootout in which an off-duty CBP officer was struck in the face and forearm. He has been hospitalized and is in stable condition.
Nunez was shot in the leg and groin during the shootout, police said. He was dropped off at a hospital in the Bronx, according to authorities. Both suspects have been apprehended.
In response to the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said New York City sanctuary policies are responsible.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that “sanctuary politicians must condemn this violence and put the safety and security of our citizens first.”
“Make no mistake: these criminal illegal aliens pulled the trigger, but Zohran Mamdani, and other sanctuary politicians in this country have blood on their hands,” said McLaughlin, adding, “Secretary Noem is calling on every politician at every level of government to abandon these reckless, lawless policies and stop playing Russian roulette with American lives.”
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She added that DHS “will continue to flood the zone in sanctuary cities and remove these criminals one by one.”
Meanwhile, Mamdani, who, as the Democratic nominee, is the likely frontrunner for New York City mayor, has yet to address the incident.
Mamdani’s social media posts and website show no public statement on the matter, which has become national news and sparked a broader discussion of President Joe Biden’s border policies and criticism of sanctuary cities.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Mamdani has been widely criticized for his previous calls to defund the police and his stated opposition to working with Trump to deport illegal immigrants if he is elected mayor in November. After winning the primary race in June, Mamdani said he would halt “masked” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials from “deporting our neighbors.”
The mayoral hopeful announced on Sunday that he was headed to Uganda “in a personal capacity” to celebrate his marriage to his wife, Rama, with their family and friends.
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“I do want to apologize to the haters, because I will be coming back,” he said, adding he would return to New York City “by the end of the month.”
Some of Mamdani’s opponents have responded to the shooting by calling for the arrest of criminal illegals.
On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams said he would “welcome” the Trump administration sending more ICE agents to New York City if they “go after dangerous people like this individual who shot an innocent Customs and Border Patrol agent.”
Adams noted, however, that “if it’s going to be to go after everyday individuals who are trying to complete the path to be a citizen, I don’t think we should do that.”
Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa has said, “I am the only candidate on the ballot who opposes sanctuary city status. Adams, Cuomo, and Mamdani all support it.”
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running for mayor as an independent, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Federal immigration authorities have faced an increase in public scrutiny from Democrats and left-wing activist groups, even to the point of violence. Border Patrol was targeted in an ambush earlier this month at an annex facility in McAllen, Texas, where a local police officer was hit in the leg, and two Border Patrol personnel were injured. The gunman was killed.
In addition, 12 individuals are facing charges, including 10 for attempted murder of federal officers, in an Independence Day attack outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, intended to target ICE agents. A police officer was shot in the neck but is expected to recover, and cars were vandalized.
Overall, ICE agents have faced an 830% increase in assaults since this time last year as the Trump administration continues to ramp up deportation and immigration enforcement efforts, according to DHS.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
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