DSA Candidate Knocked Down in Clash With NYPD at Anti-ICE Protest

A protest outside a New York hospital turned chaotic Thursday evening, after a federal immigration operation earlier that day ended with an ICE agent shooting an illegal alien who authorities say tried to evade arrest.

Video from the protest shows Democratic Socialist of America congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier falling amid a scuffle between demonstrators and police. The confrontation followed the shooting in Marble Hill, where Oscar Belgal was wounded in the neck during an attempted arrest. His five-year-old son was in the vehicle.

The child was not injured. Belgal received medical treatment and was later taken into federal custody.

Federal officials say Belgal drove toward officers as he attempted to escape, prompting them to open fire. His lawyers dispute his detention and have called for an investigation. The conflicting accounts leave a central question unresolved: whether the use of force was justified.

Protesters gathered outside the hospital where Belgal was being treated. Avila Chevalier spoke at the demonstration, calling for ICE to be abolished. As protesters and police pressed against each other, video showed the candidate being pushed or knocked to the ground.

Avila Chevalier said an officer shoved her while she was trying to calm the crowd. She also alleged that unmarked law enforcement vehicles struck protesters as officers cleared a path. She accused the NYPD of intensifying the violence rather than protecting residents.

Those claims warrant scrutiny, but the brief video does not establish what led to the fall or verify the candidate’s broader allegations.

The NYPD was not involved in the earlier shooting, Avila Chevalier acknowledged. City officers arrived afterward to manage the crowd as anger over the federal operation grew. The distinction matters: the shooting and the later confrontation involved separate law enforcement agencies.

Avila Chevalier also criticized Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch for discussing Belgal’s history with law enforcement, arguing that Tisch was using it to justify the shooting. Prior encounters may help explain why officers sought to arrest him, but they do not, on their own, settle whether the shooting was warranted. At the same time, questions about the federal operation do not remove the need to protect both demonstrators and officers.

The candidate called for Tisch to resign and for the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group to be disbanded. She further argued that police conduct violated the spirit, if not the letter, of New York’s sanctuary policies. That is her interpretation; the available account does not establish that a legal violation occurred.

The episode carries political significance. Avila Chevalier is the Democratic nominee in New York’s 13th Congressional District, after defeating longtime Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the primary. She is heavily favored to win in November. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has endorsed her.

Her demand to abolish ICE goes beyond seeking an investigation into one shooting. It puts a sweeping immigration policy position before voters as she campaigns for Congress.

Mediaite has also reported controversy over Avila Chevalier’s past social media posts, including harsh comments about former President Joe Biden and the United States. Those remarks do not resolve what happened Thursday, but they are part of her public record.

The key question for federal investigators is whether the circumstances justified firing at Belgal’s vehicle, Mediaite reported. For Avila Chevalier, the test will be whether she can substantiate her allegations with evidence beyond footage capturing a brief moment in a volatile protest.