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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal blasted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday as “fake, made-up law enforcement” and vowed to arrest any agents who commit crimes in the city.
Bilal, speaking alongside District Attorney Larry Krasner, said ICE’s actions violate “legal law” and “moral law” and warned, “You don’t want this smoke.” Krasner echoed the warning, pledging that law enforcement officials who break the law in Philadelphia will face charges.
Their remarks came after an ICE officer fatally shot a driver in Minneapolis, an incident President Donald Trump and administration officials have said was self-defense but has sparked outrage.
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Why It Matters
The sheriff's words arrived amid heightened tensions across the country between the Trump administration and its supporters, and those concerned that federal officers are overstepping in their enforcement tactics. Protests have broken out in Minneapolis and around the country against ICE in the wake of Renee Nicole Good's death, while White House officials have urged Americans to back federal law enforcement.
What To Know
Speaking Thursday, Bilal started by telling reporters that Good's death "should not have happened" and said that law professionals, "real ones," do not wear masks, referring to the common practice for federal agents to have their faces partially covered.
Calling ICE President Donald Trump's own personal army, Bilal went on to promise that if federal agents entered Philadelphia wearing masks and committed any crimes, her officers would lock them up.
"When you do it there, you're getting arrested there," she said. "No whisking away for them to hide your identity."
Bilal's characterization of ICE was coupled with criticism of Trump, to whom she referred as the "criminal in the White House," saying the president would not be able to keep agents from going to jail.
Krasner also spoke, urging residents to report any federal officers who commit a crime in Philadelphia. He added that the Minneapolis shooting was a reminder for members of the public who feel uncomfortable about the actions of any law enforcement to get out their phones and film.
Bilal also admonished the ICE agent who fatally shot Good, Jonathan Ross, saying that no professional law enforcement officer gets themselves in front of a moving vehicle, or shoots at one.
The Trump administration maintains that Good weaponized her vehicle and was trying to run down federal agents, prompting Ross to shoot at her in self-defense. Various videos of the events on Wednesday have divided opinion, with some saying the agent was clearly struck and in danger, while others feel Ross did not follow law enforcement protocol and had no reason to kill the 37-year-old mother.
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What People Are Saying
Bilal, on Thursday: "Law enforcement professionals around the country do their job, and we have been fighting for years to build that bridge between us and our communities. You have one negative nut case who causes this problem and now we all have to fight again to let people know law enforcement works with communities."
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a statement to Newsweek: “Clearly Larry Krasner has not seen the newly released footage which corroborates what DHS has stated all along—that this individual was impeding law enforcement and weaponized her vehicle in an attempt to kill or cause bodily harm to federal law enforcement. The officer was in fear of his own life, the lives of his fellow officers and acted in self-defense. The American people can watch this video with their own eyes and ears and judge for themselves.”
Vice President JD Vance, on Thursday: "The precedent here is very simple. You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That's a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job. The idea that Tim Walz and a bunch of radicals are going to go after and make this guy's life miserable because he was doing the job that he was asked to do is preposterous."
What Happens Next
ICE has yet to conduct significant operations in Philadelphia, as it has in other Democratic-run cities, but Bilal's comments showed that agents could face intensified resistance there.
Update 1/9/26, 5:43 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
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