New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said preliminary reports indicated that agents surrounded the man and the child before firing multiple rounds.
The child was believed to have escaped physical harm, Mamdani said in a statement, as questions remained over the circumstances of the shooting and the extent of the man’s injuries.
“This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation,” Mamdani said, adding that he planned to speak to President Donald Trump and “demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities.”
The shooting comes amid growing criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations and the use of force by federal agents against immigrants and members of the public.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, said officers were conducting a “targeted enforcement operation” in the Bronx to arrest a man from the Dominican Republic who had a prior criminal conviction.
“During the incident, an ICE officer discharged his weapon and the criminal illegal alien was injured,” DHS said, adding that officers provided immediate aid.
“The individual is alive and at a local hospital,” the department said.
DHS said the shooting occurred at around 4 p.m. local time (2000 GMT).
The department also alleged that the man had “associations” with a gang and prior criminal convictions but did not identify him or provide evidence to substantiate the claims.
Federal authorities’ allegations have drawn scrutiny because the Trump administration has repeatedly faced criticism over agents’ use of deadly force against immigrants and the subsequent portrayal of targeted individuals as gang members.
The administration has also repeatedly accused immigrants and protesters of using vehicles as weapons, describing some incidents as “vehicular attacks” to justify agents’ use of firearms.