Man shot by ICE agents held in Brooklyn amid 'deplorable conditions,' lawyers say

The Dominican man shot by a federal immigration agent on the edge of Manhattan and the Bronx as he was in an SUV has been kept in "deplorable conditions" in a Brooklyn jail, according to his lawyers, and is in urgent need of surgery for the bullet lodged in his neck.

The agent shot Oscar Belgal, 28, in the neck about 4 p.m. on Thursday during his arrest by ICE in the Marble Hill neighborhood as part of what the Department of Homeland Security called a "targeted enforcement operation."

His 5-year-old was in the SUV at the time but escaped injury.

Federal authorities defended the shooting, saying the man "weaponized" the SUV by accelerating into a pair of federal vehicles.

Bodycam footage released by the NYPD shows officers carrying Belgal into a police vehicle before driving him to a hospital, according to a previous Newsday story.

Belgal has been kept in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, since Thursday at his lawyers' request while they continue efforts to prevent him from being deported. A judge has temporarily blocked Belgal's deportation.

The attorneys with the Legal Aid Society and Make the Road New York decried the conditions in which he's being held.

“Mr. Belgal is living through an unimaginable nightmare," the legal groups said in a statement. "While he is currently in solitary confinement, a bullet remains lodged in his neck, the left side of his face is numb, and he can barely hear out of his left ear. Doctors have told him he urgently needs surgery, but that the procedure was too dangerous to perform Thursday evening without a specialized surgeon present."

On Monday, Emery Nelson, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which runs the jail, said in an emailed statement to Newsday: "The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) does not deny any inmate necessary medical treatment or basic necessities, such as access to three meals per day, drinking water, clothing, or daily access to medical and psychological care. The BOP takes our duty seriously to protect the individuals entrusted to our custody, as well as maintain the safety of correctional employees and the community. We make every effort to ensure the physical safety and health of the individuals confined to our facilities through a controlled environment that is secure and humane."

 Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to an email by Newsday late Sunday seeking comment.

Belgal's lawyers' statement continued: "The deliberate indifference Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed toward Mr. Belgal when he was shot on Thursday, and the treatment he has endured in detention since, are further examples of the cruelty and disregard for basic human dignity that have long defined this agency."

The shooting incident sparked protest and outrage by New Yorkers and elected officials. Mayor Zohran Mamdani called on President Donald Trump to pull ICE agents from the city completely.

Federal judges and inmates have long criticized the Brooklyn jail for its lack of heat, substandard food and violent atmosphere.

Newsday's Matthew Chayes contributed to this story.