Days after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis, authorities across the country are not only condemning ICE but issuing warnings to the agency if their officers come to their cities.
During a press conference held by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Thursday (Jan. 8), Philadelphia City and County Sheriff Rochelle Bilal took to the podium with a message for masked officers: President Trump can’t protect them from arrest if they break the law.
“This should not have happened,” Bilal began, before referring to ICE as “Trump’s New Army” to “attack citizens of the United States.”
“No law enforcement professional wears a mask, none,” she continued. “Those that come into our community wearing a mask to commit crimes, I’m saying we’re not going to whisk you away for them to hide your identity. Because when you do it there, you’re getting arrested there. No wisk away so they can hide you. None of that here. Law enforcement professionals do not shoot at moving vehicles.”
She continued, “Law enforcement officials do not stand in front of moving vehicles invoking an action that is illegal. No. So we stand here today with all those who stand against the made-up, fake, what you call ICE … I don’t call them none of that. I call them ‘made up, fake, wanna be law enforcement.’ Because what they do is not only against the moral law, but the legal law.”
Bilal didn’t back down, warning ICE officers again they wouldn’t be hidden by other figures in the area.
“You don’t want this smoke, cause we will bring it to you,” Bilal said. “The criminal in the White House will not be able to keep you from going to jail. Renee Good should be here today. Law enforcement professionals around the country do their job. We have been fighting for years to build that bridge between us and our communities. You have one negative nutcase that causes this problem? And now we all have to fight again to let people know, law enforcement works with communities. These crimes would not be down if we didn’t have communities work with us.”
Krasner echoed Bilal’s sentiments during his statements.
“Let me be clear: If any law enforcement agent, any ICE agent, is going to come to Philly to commit crimes, then you can get the F out of here,” Krasner said. “Because if you do that here, I will charge you with those crimes. You will be arrested. You will stand trial. You will be convicted.”
Statistically, homicides and major crime have been down in major cities across the country, but it has not stopped the Trump administration from using the National Guard to patrol cities such as Chicago, Washington D.C., and Portland.
