AOC Launches Bizarre War on Target in Wake of ICE Shooting

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, seized on a story involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement to demand that Target stores stop all cooperation with federal authorities.

“Today in Marble Hill, ICE agents fired multiple shots at a man in his vehicle while his 5-year-old child was in the back seat,” she said in a statement on Thursday.

“ICE’s already unwelcome presence in our city has been growing more escalatory and dangerous by the day,” AOC added. “Today’s shooting is a grave development that requires a swift and immediate response to protect the safety of all New Yorkers.”

“First, we must have a full and independent investigation of this incident. There must also be a full and immediate release of all body camera footage of the incident,” she continued.

“In addition, the Target Corporation must stop offering their Bronx properties as private staging sites for ICE, in compliance with requests from New York officials,” the democratic socialist declared. “Target opening up large, active retail parking lots for paramilitary activity is unacceptable and places the entire community at risk.”

“ICE is a rogue, lawless paramilitary and surveillance agency,” she concluded. “It does not belong in New York City and it should not exist in the United States of America. Abolish ICE.”

Ocasio-Cortez was referring to the shooting of a suspected Trinitarios gang member, who was shot in the neck by federal officers on Thursday while inside his car, as a 5-year-old boy — who is thought to be his son — sat in the backseat, according to the New York Post.

There is a Target store about half a mile from the shooting site, but a company representative went on record to refute AOC’s accusations.

“Target has no cooperative agreements with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency,” they declared.

Department of Homeland Security officials said the suspect, who was identified as Oscar Belgal, 28, has ties to dangerous gangs and a history of criminal activity.

After being given lawful orders to surrender, he began pulling his car forward and accelerating, causing one of the ICE agents to fire his weapon in response.

Senior ICE official Marcos Charles said during a news conference on Friday that “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.”

ICE agents were reportedly unaware of his child in the backseat, but Charles said Belgal “was aware,” yet chose to risk both their lives by ignoring orders from law enforcement.

The agency said Belgal has previous convictions for grand larceny, adding that he has been arrested for robbery, drug possession, weapon possession, and assault.

Despite being shot, Belgal is expected to survive. His son was not injured during the incident.

On Friday, a federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama temporarily blocked Belgal’s deportation due to a pending legal challenge, Fox News reported.

U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken issued a two-page order stating that he cannot be removed from the U.S. without a court order.

His order also prevents federal authorities from moving Belgal to another facility without the court’s approval.

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