As the city of Minneapolis reels from recent ICE activities — which resulted in the death of Renee Good — some US states are apparently taking a solid stance on the matter. Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal has made it publicly clear that law enforcement under her command will be arresting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and even called the federal agents “fake wannabe law enforcement.”
Sheriff Bilal revealed this plan on January 9 during a statement in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, following the death of Renee Good. According to Bilal, “No law enforcement professional wears a mask!… I call them made-up fake wannabe law enforcement,” and then relayed a message to the ICE agents, “I’m with the DA [District Attorney], and I work with them. If any of them wanna come in this city and commit a crime, you will not be able to hide.”
Certain independent news outlets, however, have alleged that Sheriff Bilal is now facing “calls to resign” after dropping her statement about ICE. It’s not clear which groups or communities are calling for Bilal to resign. In any case, Bilal and Philadelphia law enforcement have promised that “Anyone who comes into Philadelphia to commit crimes, regardless of who they claim to be will be held accountable under the law.”
As for Renee Good, Sheriff Bilal was saddened by her fate. Good, 37, was shot by an ICE officer during a traffic stop on Wednesday, leading to her death. Good’s death has since sparked outrage all over the country, with some businesses even reacting by putting up “No ICE” flyers on their doors. It appears Philadelphia is poised to do more than that.
Many people online agree with Sheriff Bilal
Bilal’s statements have been met with much affirmation online, particularly from those who are tired of supposed crimes and violence committed by ICE. One commenter on X/Twitter even claims the following, “The cops would be the least of their problems if they try shit in Philly” while another praised Bilal’s promised use of law enforcement to catch ICE agents, “This is exactly what is needed – Police departments need to stand by the communities they serve.”
Sadly, not all police departments have the same stance, especially in certain states. Cops in Tennessee, for example, even aided ICE agents in blockading a sandwich shop that put up a “No ICE Access” sign. Meanwhile, a restaurant worker from Minneapolis swears he saw a uniformed cop put on a ski mask to try to profile a brown person, likely to cash in on an ICE bounty.
Still, Bilal’s strong statement has raised some hope for many people online and has been deemed as leading by example, “EVERY head of local law enforcement in EVERY city and county need to say this. I hope she is getting the ball rolling for others.” It remains to be seen how Bilal and Philadelphia law enforcement plan to enforce their ICE countermeasures.
