Case Explained: Philadelphia Sheriff Blasts ICE Agents As ‘Wannabe Law Enforcement’ – Legal Perspective

Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal joined other officials Thursday to condemn Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, calling them “wannabe law enforcement” and reminding agents that wearing a mask won’t stop them from getting arrested if they commit a crime.

“No law enforcement professional wears a mask,” Bilal, who was joined by District Attorney Larry Krasner and several city council members, said. “None. None. Those that come into our communities wearing a mask to commit crime, I thank God for our District Attorney Larry Krasner, who says he’s gonna lock ’em up.”

Her comments came a day after a woman in Minneapolis was gunned down by Jonathan Ross, who has worked as a deportation officer with ICE since 2015.

Video shows the moment Renee Good, 37, appeared to wave for cars to pass her before pulling out of a residential street. That’s when one agent attempted to open her car door. Good reversed her Honda Pilot, then put it in drive and attempted to turn her wheels to leave the scene when Ross ― who was holding a cell phone in one hand ― pulled out a gun and fired once into her windshield, then again through her open driver’s side window, killing her.

“Law enforcement professionals do not shoot at moving vehicles,” Bilal said. “I’m not saying fleeing, because she wasn’t fleeing, she was getting out of the way. Law enforcement professionals do not stand in front of moving vehicles, invoking an action that is illegal. No, we don’t. And so we stand here today with all those who stand against the made-up, fake ― what you can call ICE, professional law enforcement ― I don’t call ’em none of that.”

“I call them made-up, fake, wannabe law enforcement,” Good continued. “Because what they do is against not only legal law, but the moral law.”

“What Sheriff Bilal is saying reflects a real frustration that many local police and their communities are feeling right now. Federal enforcement actions appear increasingly disconnected from the standards and practices most local departments train to uphold,” said Lt. Diane Goldstein (Ret.), executive director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership.

“Tragic incidents like the killing of Renee Good only deepen the perception that law enforcement writ large is not accountable to the people it is meant to protect. Law enforcement professionals across the country have spent years working to build trust with their communities. It’s no surprise that a highly publicized incident like this reopens old wounds and raises serious questions about transparency, use of force, and accountability,” she continued. “If we are truly committed to public safety, we need to acknowledge those concerns and work together to restore confidence in policing at every level.”

In November, immigration advocates protested against ICE outside Philadelphia’s Criminal Justice Center, where agents have routinely made arrests, and called on Bilal to do more.

“Let me be very clear: The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office does not partner with ICE,” Bilal said in a statement at the time. “Our deputies do not assist ICE, share information, or participate in immigration enforcement. Our responsibility is to maintain safety and security inside the courthouses for everyone.”

In his own remarks on Thursday, Krasner warned that ICE agents who commit crimes in Philadelphia “will be convicted.”

“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.”

Not even President Donald Trump will be able to save them, he added.

“Donald Trump cannot pardon you for a state court conviction,” Krasner said.

Bilal warned that ICE agents will have nowhere to hide if they commit a crime in Philadelphia.

“If any of them want to come into this city and commit a crime, you will not be able to hide,” she said. “Nobody will whisk you off. You don’t want this smoke, because we will bring it to you.”