How Philly's sheriff put the city in Trump's immigration crosshairs
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Sheriff Rochelle Bilal. Photo: Courtesy of Philadelphia Sheriff's Office
An unlikely Philadelphia elected official has thrust the city into the national conversation about an ICE agent's fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
Why it matters: Sheriff Rochelle Bilal's comments have put her — and possibly Philly — in the crosshairs of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, which the city's top leaders have desperately sought to avoid over the past year.
- The Parker administration has avoided directly criticizing the Trump administration and taken steps that some advocates view as conciliatory, like rebranding Philly from a "sanctuary city" to a "welcoming city" and eliminating diversity benchmarks in awarding public contracts.
The big picture: Good's death set off demonstrations nationally, including in the Philly region, while Bilal's remarks spread rapidly online, generating millions of views, international headlines and sharply divided reactions along ideological lines, including one Florida politician saying Bilal should be arrested.
- The sheriff's office website has been flooded with thousands of messages from across the country criticizing Bilal, her spokesperson Teresa Lundy tells Axios.
- The uproar led Philadelphia police to issue a statement clarifying the office's role, and Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel has stressed the police department is a "separate entity" from Bilal's office.
- Bethel says his department will "continue to work professionally with all our law enforcement partners."
Catch up quick: Bilal denounced ICE agents as "fake" and "probably Trump's new army to attack citizens" during a news conference alongside District Attorney Larry Krasner and progressive city legislators last week.
- Bilal warned that ICE agents who commit crimes in Philadelphia could face prosecution.
- "You will not be able to hide. Nobody will whisk you off," Bilal said during the news conference. "You don't want this smoke, 'cause we will bring it to you."
The latest: Bilal tells Axios she has received death threats over her comments and now has a beefed-up protective detail following her around the clock, including being stationed outside her home.
- A police spokesperson confirmed to Axios that the department is investigating death threats against Bilal.
What they're saying: The sheriff's office provided screenshots to Axios of some of the messages sent to the sheriff's website that referred to Bilal as a "DEI" hire and a "disgrace to the uniform," and called for her removal from office.
- "It's because of Blacks like you that Americans have black fatigue," one commenter wrote, using a derogatory insult to refer to Bilal.
"I'm not scared of these people," Bilal tells Axios. "I will do whatever it takes to keep myself and my family safe."
Context: Bilal, a Democrat in her second term, has overseen a department plagued by controversy, ineptitude and questionable spending.
- Some critics have called for her office — which secures the courts, transports prisoners and oversees tax and foreclosure sales — to be abolished.
What we're watching: Whether Philly faces any consequences from the Trump administration over Bilal's comments.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has vowed to send "hundreds" more agents to Minneapolis in response to the shooting.
The bottom line: Philly should be prepared for a possible surge of ICE activity, Bilal says, advising residents to remain peaceful during protests and not allow immigration officials to "put you off your square."