PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia officials promised new policies and laws to protect residents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they denounced the ICE killing of a 37-year-old mother of three in Minneapolis.
Elected officials repeated the name of the Minneapolis woman shot to death by ICE agents to open a wide-ranging press conference where they condemned the shooting, warned ICE away from Philadelphia and reassured residents they were working to protect them from ICE aggression.
DA Larry Krasner pledged to prosecute ICE agents who violate local law.
“If any law enforcement agent, any ICE agent is going to come to Philadelphia to commit crimes, then you can get the F out of here,” he said. “I will charge you, you will be arrested, you will stand trial, you will be convicted, whether it’s in state or federal court, it’s my office prosecuting it, that’s how the law works, and you will do your time.”
City Councilmembers hinted they’ll introduce anti-ICE legislation when council resumes Jan. 22. Rue Landau seemed to chide Mayor Cherelle Parker — who has refused to criticize the Trump administration.
“It is past time for the city of Philadelphia to take a stand, fight back and truly act as a united city,” said Landau.
Sheriff Rochelle Bilal critiqued ICE techniques, noting near-universal regulations that bar standing in front of or shooting at moving vehicles.
“I call them made-up, fake, wannabe law enforcement because what they do is against not only legal law but moral law,” she said.
Bilal said ICE practices run counter to most law enforcement, particularly wearing masks and hiding their identities.
The officials promised more details about anti-ICE strategies next week.