Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal sharply criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a press conference on January 8, 2026, in response to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, mother of three, poet, and caregiver, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026.
Federal authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security, described the incident as self-defense, stating that Good ignored commands, attempted to run over ICE officers with her vehicle during an immigration-related operation amid community interference and protests, leading the agent (identified in reports as Jonathan Ross) to fire. Local leaders, protesters, and video footage analyses have condemned the shooting as reckless and unnecessary, with some accounts suggesting Good was attempting to drive away rather than strike officers.
Bilal opened her remarks by introducing herself and invoking Good’s name: “Good afternoon. I’m Rochelle Bilal, the sheriff for the city and county of Philadelphia. And now say her name: Renee Good. This should not have happened.”
She condemned ICE’s tactics, particularly the use of masked agents, and emphasized professional standards: “No law enforcement professional wears a mask… Law enforcement professionals do not hide their identities… Law enforcement professionals do not shoot at moving vehicles… Law enforcement professionals do not stand in front of moving vehicles invoking an action that is illegal.”
Bilal directly attacked ICE’s legitimacy, stating: “Let note that law enforcement professionals, real ones, not the fake made up ICE, probably Trump’s new army to attack citizens of the United States… I don’t call them none of that. I call them made up, fake, wannabe law enforcement.”
She asserted that such actions violate both legal and moral law, aligning with Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who vowed to prosecute law enforcement officials committing crimes in the city: “Thank God for our district attorney Larry Krasner who say he’s gonna lock him up… If any of them want to come in this city, you will not be able to hide… You don’t want this smoke because we will bring it to you.”
Bilal added a reference to the president: “The criminal in the White House would not be able to keep [them] from going to jail.”
She highlighted the importance of community trust in reducing crime: “We have been fighting for years to build that bridge between us in our communities… These crimes would not be down if we didn’t have communities work with us.”
Later, in an interview on CNN’s OutFront with host Erin Burnett on January 9, 2026, Bilal elaborated on law enforcement practices in the incident, stating that “a law enforcement professional does not put themself in the place of danger” and “does not stand in front of a vehicle.”
The incident has sparked protests across the U.S., renewed scrutiny of ICE use-of-force policies, and an ongoing FBI-led investigation.
