You don't want this smoke': US sheriff reflects on her viral remarks about ICE

"You don't want this smoke, Rochelle Bilal, Philadelphia's sheriff, warned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during an 8 January press conference. Her words have since become a rallying cry for resistance to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. At the conference with Larry Krasner, Philadelphia's district attorney, and city council members, Bilal spoke out against the 7 January fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis."

"We stand here today with all those who stand against the made-up, fake, what you can call ICE, professional law enforcement, she said at the conference. I don't call them none of that. I call them made-up, fake, wannabe law enforcement. Because what they do is against not only legal law, but the moral law. Bilal is part of a growing body of elected officials who are speaking out against the Trump administration's immigration policies and ICE's alleged misconduct and aggressive enforcement tactics."

"As the first Black female sheriff of Philadelphia elected in 2019, Bilal has faced perhaps the most vitriol from opponents who have targeted her for her race and gender. Race played a big [role in the] response, Bilal told the Guardian. The negative, nasty messages that are being received is ridiculous. Since the video of her speech went viral, Bilal told the Guardian that death threats that she's received have required her to increase her security detail."

Rochelle Bilal publicly warned ICE agents with the phrase "You don't want this smoke" following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. Bilal labeled ICE "made-up, fake, wannabe law enforcement," asserting their actions violate legal and moral law. Bilal aligns with a growing group of elected officials opposing Trump administration immigration policies and alleged ICE misconduct. As the first Black female Philadelphia sheriff elected in 2019, Bilal has faced intense vitriol tied to her race and gender and has increased security after receiving death threats while refusing to resign.

Read at www.theguardian.com