500 signatures reached
To: Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal
Keep ICE Out of the Courthouse!
Dear Sheriff Bilal,
The Criminal Justice Center, where the sheriff’s office is in charge of security, has become one of ICE’s favorite places to kidnap immigrants. Already, over 100 of our neighbors have been disappeared from the courthouse. These people were attending preliminary hearings, testifying as witnesses, supporting loved ones, reporting for jury duty, and more. Now, immigrants are rightly scared and many are refusing to come to court at all. We ALL suffer when access to justice is denied, and we cannot stand idly by while ICE uses our courthouse as a hunting ground.
We are calling on you, our sheriff, to protect the people you were elected to serve and to end ICE’s campaign of terror at the courthouse. We are calling on you to protect access to justice and due process for all.
We are asking you to:
- Meet with No ICE Philly and immigrant-led community organizations;
- Keep ICE out of the courthouse, including the grounds, parking lots, and all courthouse property;
- Ensure your deputies are not collaborating with ICE; and
- Stop harassing people lawfully observing ICE kidnappings
You called ICE agents “made up law enforcement” who do not keep our communities safe, and we agree. Now we are urging you to back those words up with action. We urge you to be brave in this moment because our neighbors, and our city, deserve safety.
Why is this important?
The Sheriff's office is tasked with the security of courthouses in Philadelphia, including the Criminal Justice Center. Sheriff Bilal is allowing ICE to use the courthouse as a hunting ground to conduct violent warrantless arrests. Sheriff Bilal's inaction continues to put all Philadelphians in harm's way, as everyone's access to justice is jeopardized.
The Sheriff has taken multiple opportunities to speak to the press about how dangerous ICE agents are, yet her deputy sheriffs continue to share information with ICE, harass community members observing ICE abductions, and allow ICE agents to stalk the courthouse hallways, hang out in the lobby, move freely through restricted area, use the private court-owned parking lot to violently abduct our neighbors, and assault bystanders for daring to film them.
Sheriff Bilal does not hold her deputies accountable for collaborating with ICE agents — which is a violation of her office's current policy. All the while, she refuses to meet with No ICE Philly and community organizations about how she can keep our neighbors safe.
Sheriff Bilal claims she can't take action, but we know the sheriff is not powerless. Join us in demanding Sheriff Bilal take action to keep ICE out of our courthouse, hold collaborating deputy sheriffs accountable, and protect our neighbors seeking access to justice.