Mayor Mamdani Rejects DSA Demands to Fire Police Commissioner
Mayor Zohran Mamdani refused to fire NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch despite pressure from the Democratic Socialists of America following a violent ICE operation in the Bronx.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani rejected demands from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to fire Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch following a violent federal immigration operation. The conflict began on October 8 in the Marble Hill neighborhood of the Bronx, where United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and wounded Oscar Belgal, a Dominican immigrant, in front of his five-year-old son. While the NYPD was not involved in the shooting, officers clashed with subsequent protesters, during which Democratic congressional nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier was shoved to the ground.
The DSA and Avila Chevalier demanded Tisch's resignation and the abolition of the NYPD's Strategic Response Group (SRG) and Community Response Team (CRT), accusing the city of collaborating with ICE. Mayor Mamdani initially attempted to negotiate Belgal's release through calls with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, but those efforts failed. Federal officials later claimed Trump offered to release Belgal into NYPD custody, an offer Mamdani reportedly refused.
Mamdani defended Tisch, citing her record of rooting out corruption and overseeing a 6.6% decline in major crime, including historic lows in murders and shootings through the first nine months of 2026. While he refused to remove Tisch, Mamdani pledged to review the 24-hour period surrounding the incident, directed a comprehensive review of NYPD use-of-force policies, and reiterated his commitment to disbanding the SRG.
