Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons on Saturday publicly challenged Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal to follow through on her warning that she would arrest federal immigration agents who enter her city and “commit a crime.”
Lyons made the remarks during an appearance on The Big Weekend Show on Fox News, after the network aired a clip of Bilal’s comments from a press conference earlier in the week.
Bilal’s statements came Thursday, one day after a fatal encounter involving an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Authorities said 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed after blocking traffic and appearing to strike an ICE officer with her SUV. She was shot multiple times.
At the Philadelphia press conference, Bilal referred to ICE as “fake, made-up law enforcement,” warned “you don’t want this smoke,” and said her department would act against any ICE agents who “commit a crime” in her jurisdiction.
Responding on Fox News, Lyons slammed the rhetoric, saying it endangered officers on both sides.
“Any time you pit law enforcement officers against law enforcement officers, it makes nobody safe,” Lyons said. He added that increasingly aggressive language from critics of ICE was making it harder for agents to safely carry out their duties.
Lyons then directly addressed Bilal, saying, “I’m not one for big banter or bluster, but my message to the sheriff is: try it. Try [and] arrest my folks and see what happens.”
Later in the interview, Lyons said he did not want to preempt any announcements from Donald Trump, but indicated that ICE would deploy additional agents to assist with operations in Minneapolis.
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6 Responses
If ICE even so much as touches even 1 Philadelphia police officer, there shall be so much animosity to ICE & Trump, that this shall flip Pennsylvania blue in 2028 & cost Republicans the 2028 election.
No it won’t his numbers are climbing and vast majority don’t agree with you. Besides Pennsylvania is a democratic shoring hold already like ny nj and California
So 147 as usual you don’t know what you are talking about
PA is a swing state. Trump took it in 2016 and 2024
Losers Sheb’losers
This stupid woman isn’t even a real LEO herself. The sheriff’s department in Philadelphia does NOT police the city. That’s the job of the police department. The sheriff has no control over the police whatsoever. And the police commissioner has confirmed that the police will continue to cooperate with ICE.
Any policeman or sheriff’s deputy who tries to arrest a federal agent who is carrying out his official role will himself be arrested, and so will whoever gave him the illegal order to do so.
ICE agents ARE real LEOs, and have the full authority to arrest anyone for any crime that they see them commit, just like any other LEO. In particular, obstructing or impeding federal law enforcement is a federal crime, for which the agents can and will arrest anyone who does it, including local cops.
let her just try it… stupid lefty