US cities increasingly compelled to police abuses by immigration agents [View all]
Rochelle Bilal, Philadelphia’s sheriff, warned ICE agents last week: “If any of them want to come in this city and commit a crime, you will not be able to hide.
“Nobody will whisk you off,” she said. “You don’t want this smoke, ’cause we will bring it to you.”
On the surface, it sounds like Philly political braggadocio. Sheriff’s deputies don’t generally spend their time arresting anyone. They serve warrants, guard prisoners and keep court in order. Under other circumstances, Bilal’s comments could be dismissed as a Democratic elected official throwing red meat at a blue audience.
But she’s not alone. Last year, municipal leaders in cities including Chicago, Portland and Charlotte made simple promises for their police not to cooperate with immigration enforcement, and to monitor the activities of ICE for civil remedies. In June, Michelle Wu, Boston’s mayor, signed an executive order requiring regular Freedom of Information Act requests of the DHS to learn when and where immigration arrests are made.
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State or local police arresting federal officers would have been unthinkable last year. But federal agents have never faced widespread accusations of misconduct, as they do now. State law enforcement is increasingly presenting itself as an answer to federal impunity for civil rights violations.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/16/ice-agent-local-police-abuse
Because the truth is, we can no longer depend on the federal government.
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