A Border Patrol agent is recovering after being shot in the face during what authorities say was an attempted robbery Saturday night in Fort Washington Park—just steps from the Washington Bridge in Manhattan.

According to AMNewYork, the attack occurred shortly before midnight. Officers from the NYPD’s 33rd Precinct responded to emergency calls and found the 42-year-old federal agent bleeding from gunshot wounds to his face and arm. Sources say one bullet struck him directly in the cheek.

EMS rushed the wounded officer to Harlem Hospital. He is reportedly in stable condition and is expected to survive.

The agent—off-duty and not in uniform at the time—was quickly identified by sources close to the investigation as a member of U.S. Border Patrol. Police believe he was targeted in a robbery gone wrong. A suspect is currently in custody for questioning, with charges pending as the investigation continues.

The shooting comes amid a disturbing rise in attacks on immigration enforcement officers nationwide, fueled by inflammatory rhetoric from far-left lawmakers and activists.

Former ICE Director and President Trump’s appointed Border Czar, Tom Homan, warned just days ago that verbal assaults from Democrats are escalating into physical violence against law enforcement.

“The rhetoric against the men and women of ICE is skyrocketing, especially by members of Congress,” Homan said Monday on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom. “We have senators, we have congresspeople [who] compare ICE to the Nazis, compare ICE to racists... So the public thinks, well, if a member of Congress can attack ICE, why can’t we?”

That very mentality, Homan warned, is already playing out across the country.

Two weeks ago, a Texas officer was shot in the neck outside the Prairieland Detention Facility, an ICE center in Alvarado, Texas. Around the same time, violent left-wing protesters vandalized federal vehicles, slashed tires, and damaged surveillance equipment at another ICE facility in Portland—part of an ongoing campaign targeting President Trump’s immigration agenda.

DHS reports show that physical attacks on federal agents involved in immigration enforcement have surged by over 800% compared to this time last year.

The explosion of violence has been linked directly to Democratic lawmakers like Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, both of whom outrageously compared ICE to the Gestapo in June. Their remarks were blasted by Republicans as dangerous and irresponsible.

“These men and women of ICE, the men and women of border patrol—they’re mothers and fathers too,” Homan said. “They don’t hang their heart on a hook when they go to work.”

Homan emphasized that if protesters are upset with U.S. immigration law, they should “go protest Congress,” not target the brave agents enforcing it.

The shooting in Manhattan occurred just hours after President Donald J. Trump signed what he called his “big, beautiful bill”—a $3.3 trillion package that marks a historic investment in border security and law enforcement.

The legislation allocates:

• $46.5 billion for border wall expansion,
• $30 billion for ICE hiring and training,
• $6 billion for border surveillance technology, and
• Funding for 10,000 new ICE agents to reinforce the nation’s immigration system.

With these resources, Homan says, the Trump administration will continue its mission to restore law and order and make America safer.