New York Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman criticized Harry Styles after the singer paid tribute to Oscar Belgal during a Madison Square Garden performance, according to Fox News.
Styles, who is holding a 30-show residency at the venue, asked concertgoers to remember Belgal and look after one another. Belgal, a 28-year-old Dominican Republic migrant, was shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during an operation on Thursday, the source reported. His five-year-old son was in the car at the time.
Speaking Tuesday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” Blakeman called the tribute misguided and argued that people with criminal records who are in the country illegally should be deported. The source says Belgal has prior arrests for assault, robbery, drug possession and weapons possession, citing the Department of Homeland Security. Federal officials have also alleged that he has ties to the Trinitarios street gang.
The source reports that Belgal was shot after allegedly refusing to comply with officers carrying out a targeted arrest. Senior ICE official Marcos Charles defended the officers at a Friday news conference, according to the report. The supplied material does not provide an independent account of the shooting or the basis for the allegations against Belgal.
A DHS spokesperson also criticized Styles’ tribute in a statement to Fox News. Fox said it sought comment from the singer. The source reports that Belgal is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and that his legal team has described his conditions as deplorable.
Blakeman’s criticism comes amid broader disagreement among New York officials over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. The claims about Belgal’s conduct and the circumstances of the shooting remain attributed to federal officials and the source report.
