PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Protestors gathered Thursday outside the Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice (CJC) in Center City to demand that Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal do more to protect people from being detained by ICE agents at the courthouse.
The protest was organized by No ICE Philly, and member Aniqa Raihan accused the Sheriff’s Office of allowing ICE to operate and arrest community members at the courthouse.
“ICE is regularly staking out the courthouse and making arrests, either inside, which they are definitely not allowed to be doing, or right outside, sometimes on the ground, sometimes right outside in the street,” she said.
When reached for comment by KYW Newsradio, Bilal pointed to a video she put out on Nov. 14 about the presence of ICE agents at CJC. In it, Bilal clarified that sheriff’s deputies are not involved in any ICE operation at the courthouse. She said deputies check the credentials of every agent entering the courthouse and that they’re not permitted to make arrests inside.
“Outside of the building or on public property, we have no legal authority to interfere with any lawful activity,” Bilal continued.
Raihan said they are asking Bilal to stop allowing ICE agents into the building, to protect people lawfully observing or recording ICE arrests, and to ensure deputies are not passing information to ICE.
“Sheriff Bilal is in charge of security at the courthouse,” she said. “They are not stopping ICE, in fact, they are allowing ice to stop and abduct our community members.”
More than 90 people have been detained by ICE at the CJC this year, according to Juntos, a South Philadelphia-based immigrant advocacy organization.
KYW Newsradio has been unable to independently confirm any arrests in or around the CJC.
Organizers are also inviting Bilal to join them at a protest outside the courthouse on Dec. 4 to publicly address their concerns.