A coalition of Bronx elected officials and faith leaders are putting pressure on Target to ban ICE from using their property for staging operations, following the Oct. 8 shooting of Oscar Belgal by federal agents in Marble Hill.
The group of Bronx and Manhattan elected officials sounded the alarm on Oct. 5, formally sending a letter to Kingsbridge Associates, co-owner of the Marble Hill Target, inquiring about their relationship with ICE and urging the developer to prohibit federal agents from using their parking lot for immigration enforcement. The letter followed months of reports from constituents about ICE sightings at the site.
Just days after the letter was sent, federal agents shot Belgal, a 28-year old man from the Dominican Republic, in a targeted operation, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Belgal has connections to the Trinitarios gang, a claim that could not be independently verified.
Two days after the shooting, Kingsbridge Associates responded to the letter and said that they were not aware that ICE was operating on their property and do not have a working relationship with ICE, according to Councilmember Pierina Sanchez’s office.
Target told the Bronx Times that they do not have any formal agreement with ICE and did not respond to further questions.
While New York City’s sanctuary policies restrict city agencies and the NYPD from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement in certain circumstances, they do not generally prohibit federal agents from operating on private property.
State Sen. Gustavo Rivera urged Target and Kingsbridge Associates to explicitly ban ICE from using the parking lot, arguing that doing so would establish that agents operating there without permission are trespassing.
At a rally Oct. 9, elected officials demanded that Target take responsibility for the activity at its property and publicly commit to preventing ICE from using the site. Rivera said elected officials had spent months trying to reach both Target and Kingsbridge Associates about reports of agents staging there.
NYC Comptroller Mark Levine, who oversees the city’s pension systems, said he had sent a letter demanding an independent evaluator to assess the company’s handling of the situation. The city’s pension funds hold investments in Target.
“We will not stop pushing on behalf of people in this community who are living terrorized by a rogue federal agency, and to demand that this corporation stop enabling this behavior,” Levine said.
Washington Square Partners, the parent company of Kingsbridge Associates, has developed major commercial projects across the city, including DeKalb Market Hall and City Point.
The company has also received city tax abatements and credits, including benefits through the Industrial and Commercial Abatement Program, according to Sanchez.
When the Bronx Times asked whether the city would consider barring or limiting business with developers who collaborate with ICE, Councilmember Pierina Sanchez said “everything is on the table” and that she plans to discuss the issue with Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Linda Tijani, chair and executive director of the NYC Commission on Racial Equity, pointed to a morality clause in city contracts that former Mayor Bill de Blasio cited when canceling contracts with the Trump Organization. She argued that the city had a moral obligation to protect New Yorkers through its spending decisions.
“This city absolutely has to disinvest our pension from Target and any company that refuses to move forward with DEI, and that also means with real estate companies,” Tijani said.
“We cannot in our budget, that by law must be guided by racial equity, which includes the protection of immigrants. We cannot, in our city’s budget or pension, have any dollar go to a company that supports, collaborates, or turns a blind eye to ICE, or continues to comply with Trump’s illegal efforts,” she said.
Protests erupted Thursday night following Belgal’s shooting, with the NYPD deploying its Strategic Response Group (SRG) which clashed with demonstrators. Tisch said the NYPD did not assist federal agents with the operation, but the department faced scrutiny over its response to the protests.
Mamdani also faced backlash over the police response, as activists called on his administration and other elected officials to take a stronger stance against ICE operations in the city.
Jose Alfaro, a member of RESO, Resist and Solidarity, said that Mamdani and city officials should explicitly denounce ICE and ensure the NYPD does not assist federal immigration enforcement operations.
“The position of New York City has to be a lot stronger. We will keep ICE out of New York City, the same way the people in Minneapolis came out and fought against ICE and fought back against ICE,” Alfaro said.
“We have to do that in New York City, and it’s not just the elected officials. We have to build a movement that will keep ICE from coming into the city.”
Reach Marina Samuel at msamuel@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
