Following Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s January 8, 2026, press conference where she criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as “fake made up ICE, probably Trump’s new army to attack citizens” and labeled them “made up, fake, wannabe law enforcement” in the wake of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, several officials issued strong rebuttals.
In her remarks, Bilal specifically condemned masked agents and aligned with Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, stating: “No law enforcement professional wears a mask… Those that come into our communities wearing a mask to commit crime… thank God for our district attorney Larry Krasner who say he’s gonna lock him up.” She added that her office would not allow agents to evade accountability: “We are not going to whisk you away for them to hide your identity… None of that here,” and warned, “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.” These statements referenced potential arrests or prosecutions for crimes committed by federal agents in Philadelphia.
ICE Director Todd Lyons addressed Bilal’s comments during an appearance on Fox News’ The Big Weekend Show on January 10, 2026. He criticized the rhetoric as divisive and stated: “First off, any time you take law enforcement against law enforcement, it makes nobody safe. This is the exact type of political rhetoric I’ve been seeing since I’ve had the opportunity to be ICE director. Increased rhetoric is what’s causing the issues right now. You can’t take a local law enforcement officer against the federal law enforcement officer. We are out there trying to do lawful law enforcement mission and this rhetoric here is an example of what we are facing every day. I’m not one for banter or bluster, but my message to the sheriff is: try and arrest my folks—let’s see what happens.”
The fatal shooting has ignited widespread outrage, sparking tens of thousands marching in Minneapolis and more than 1,000 planned anti-ICE protests and rallies across the U.S. over the weekend. Demonstrators, braving cold weather, have chanted slogans like “Abolish ICE,” “Justice for Renee,” and “ICE out now,” demanding accountability for the incident.
