Something being exposed with these stand-offs between federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and city law enforcement agencies is the incompetent activists who lead them. Look at Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day, who my colleague Rusty Weiss just revealed held back in disclosing the facts behind the Portland shooting of two Tren de Aragua connected illegals by Border Patrol, precipitating the dissemination of a fake narrative and escalating further chaos in his city. Then there is Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who instructed his residents to call 911 on ICE agents. These people are neither competent law enforcement nor competent leaders. They have no desire to follow the rule of law, only to serve the current progressive agenda.
Read More: Portland Police Chief Literally Cries Admitting: DHS Was Right — Tren de Aragua Ties in CBP Shooting
Wait, What? Minneapolis Police Chief Urges Residents to Call 911 on ICE Agents
Add Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal to that list.
In case you missed it, after the Minneapolis incident where anti-ICE activist Renee Good rammed her vehicle toward an ICE agent and hit him, resulting in her own death, Bilal took to the cameras to beclown herself. After demanding that everyone say the name “Renee Good,” Bilal called ICE agents, “fake law enforcement.” Bilal then declared, “No law enforcement professional wears a mask,” a point that could be easily disproven. Bilal didn’t stop there, of course. Bilal then threatened to arrest ICE agents if they dared commit “crimes” in her city. She spouted, “You don’t want this smoke, because we will bring it to you…The criminal in the White House will not be able to keep you from going to jail.”
Such professional behavior.
WATCH:
Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal calls ICE agents “fake law enforcement”: “You don’t want this smoke, because we will bring it to you. The criminal in the White House will not be able to keep you from going to jail.” pic.twitter.com/cprjsTWRwA
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) January 9, 2026
Bilal’s remarks has stirred outrage and caused an outcry. So much so that the Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel issued a lengthy statement to set the record straight about who sets law enforcement policy in Philadelphia. From the tone of the statement, the department’s phone lines, and Bethel’s own private line, were probably on fire, and HE didn’t want that smoke.
A statement from @PPDCommish Kevin J. Bethel: pic.twitter.com/oiigx1ZMOI
— Philadelphia Police Department (@PhillyPolice) January 10, 2026
The full statement reads:
A Statement from Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel Regarding the Role of The Philadelphia Police Department vs. The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office
Over the past 24 hours, Philadelphia Police Department offices have been inundated with calls and emails from across the country and around the world, which makes it necessary to clear up some confusion about law enforcement authority in the City of Philadelphia.
Let me be clear: the City of Philadelphia is policed by the Philadelphia Police Department, not the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office.
The Philadelphia Police Department is the City’s primary law enforcement agency. Our officers are responsible for citywide patrol, criminal investigations, emergency response, and the enforcement of state and local laws. I serve as Police Commissioner by appointment by the Mayor of Philadelphia and operate within the City’s executive structure.
The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office is a separate entity, led by an elected official – currently Sheriff Rochelle Bilal – with a mission that includes court security, the service of legal process, prisoner transport, fugitive apprehension, and sheriff’s sales. It does not police the City of Philadelphia, conduct criminal investigations, nor does it in any way direct municipal policing.
The Philadelphia Police Department will continue to work professionally with all of our law enforcement partners. But clear lines of authority – and accurate public representation of those roles – are essential to maintaining public trust and effective public safety operations.
Bethel stopped short of full-throated support of the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement within Philadelphia or a commitment to ensure the protection of its agents. While that may have been an appropriate action, Bethel serves at the pleasure of the mayor. From local reports, it seems Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has been reticent to take a stand one way or another.
Noticeably absent from the news conference was Mayor Cherelle Parker, who has not taken a strong stance on immigration and Philadelphia’s efforts to remain a sanctuary city since Trump was elected in November.
Despite that, Bethel made the smart move to distinguish and distance himself from Bilal’s shenanigans. She recently went on a podcast and had this to say about how she would respond if confronted by ICE, among other gems.
WATCH:
Sheriff Rochelle Bilal calls US Congressman Racial Slur, suggests she would also break state law.
Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal has just made some controversial comments on a YouTube show.
First, she says that she would have also fled the ICE traffic stop that ended in… pic.twitter.com/WJpPyFNYyG
— PhillyCrimeUpdate (@PhillyCrimeUpd) January 10, 2026
First, she says that she would have also fled the ICE traffic stop that ended in the death of Nicole Renee Good. In PA, fleeing from police is a violation of crimes code section 3733, a misdemeanor.
She goes on to rant about Texas Congressman Wesley Hunt. She even goes as far as calling him a “handkerchief head n*gro”.
Civil-rights organizations say the phrase has long been used to demean and dehumanize Black Americans and is considered offensive in modern usage.
In fact, The Anti-Defamation League defines racially derogatory language tied to stereotypes and historical oppression as hate speech.
She also seems to think that Jan 6th occurred at the White House…. Tune in and see for yourself.
According to multiple news sources, since Bilal has been the head of the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Department, it has been rife with even more incompetence and corruption. The Philadelphia City Council is even making noises about disbanding the entire department.
Shocker.
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