ICE thinks they can get away with murder. The street execution of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross resulted in a brief moment of fear – perhaps there might actually be consequences for obliterating an innocent woman’s face and denying her medical assistance as she died.
But ICE sooned breathed a sigh of relief, as the Trump administration instantly dismissed Good as a “domestic terrorist”, and that ICE had every right to blow her head off and flee the scene of the crime. That’s only been underlined by yesterday’s decree from the DHS that ICE agents have “federal immunity in the conduct of their duties”, essentially putting them above the law.
State officials disagree. In pointed comments made during yesterday’s press conference at Philadelphia’s Salt and Light Church, District Attorney Larry Krasner spoke alongside Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal and other council members, issuing a stark and straightforward warning to ICE. Krasner promised:
“We will arrest you. We will put handcuffs on you. We will close those cuffs. We will put you in a cell. We will do everything in our power to convict you and we will make sure you serve your entire sentence because Donald Trump has no power whatsoever to pardon you.”
He’s right. Trump can only pardon individuals convicted on federal charges and has no power over those convicted in state court.
“You will be arrested and you will go to jail”
Sheriff Bilal, who has previously vowed to “bring the smoke” against ICE, said Philly cops won’t just ignore a criminal because they hold a federal badge, saying that if they break the law “in the city and the DA charges you, you will be arrested and you will go to jail. That’s the smoke.”
Councilmember Rue Landau underlined all this, saying the ICE’s actions are having a chilling effect on justice:
“If folks are scared to go to court, if they are scared the second they step out of their house to even get to that court hearing, they are in jeopardy. If going to the hearing and walking outside puts them in harm’s way of ICE agents who are going to jump out of unmarked cars with unmarked vests and not showing their badges, they are going to jump on them, attack them and drag them away. They’re not going to participate in the process.”
Words are one thing, action is another. It’s unknown what would actually happen if the Philadelphia Police Department attempted to arrest an ICE agent. Presumably, they wouldn’t go quietly and this would be an incredibly tense standoff, with ICE being able to point to the DHS’s decree that “if officials cross that line into obstruction, into criminal conspiracy against the United States or against ICE officers, then they will face justice.”
Open conflict between ICE and city cops is unknown territory, but it’s certainly not going to lead to anything good. But, for now, we should just wait to see whether these promises of action against ICE criminals become a reality.
Published: Jan 15, 2026 05:49 am