Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner went to Philadelphia International Airport and threatened to jail federal immigration agents who are currently deployed there and across the country as part of an ongoing federal response.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were deployed to Philadelphia and at least a dozen other airports as part of a federal response to a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staffing shortage during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Nearly 20 percent of TSA officers in Philadelphia called out of shifts, forcing checkpoint closures. The deployment remains active, with ICE agents continuing to support airport operations nationwide.
Federal officials sent ICE agents to assist with crowd control and general support. At the airport, agents were not screening passengers, checking IDs, or conducting enforcement actions. Reporters saw them near security lines at various points throughout the day, sometimes only a few at a time, while travelers moved through checkpoints in minutes, including the pre-check lines, which took roughly 4 minutes. Krasner used the press conference to issue a warning.
“This is how it works. You commit crimes within the jurisdiction that is the city and county of Philadelphia, I prosecute you… No, the president cannot pardon you… Yes, I will put you in handcuffs, and I will put you in a courtroom, and if necessary, I will put you in a jail cell.”
He did not point to any incident involving ICE agents at the airport, nor to any arrest, complaint, or investigation tied to their presence.
He used the press conference to attack federal immigration enforcement and the Trump administration. Krasner called the current deportation policy “immoral,” blamed the deployment on the White House, and argued ICE agents at the airport were harming Philadelphia economically and deterring international travel.
He also rejected the stated purpose of the deployment.
“It really doesn’t have anything to do with TSA… He could have solved that problem long ago by paying them.”
He went further, blaming President Donald Trump for the shutdown and arguing the situation at airports was the result of federal policy decisions rather than staffing shortages. Throughout the press conference, he repeatedly tied airport conditions back to the administration, including when discussing TSA staffing and checkpoint closures.
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That puts a local prosecutor on record threatening federal agents who are operating under a current federal deployment tied to an ongoing national staffing issue.
TSA staffing shortages had already forced checkpoint closures, prompting federal officials to deploy ICE to keep operations moving during the disruption.
Krasner acknowledged that agents were largely standing by and following orders, while warning about their presence.
“We don’t have militarized federal officials walking through our airports… It’s intimidating… It makes our country look like it is some kind of a dictatorship.”
He returned to ICE and the Trump administration in nearly every answer, regardless of the question. Questions about staffing, airport logistics, and tourism all led back to the agents’ presence and federal policy.
Krasner has made similar statements before. He has referred to ICE agents as “wannabe Nazis” and said they could be “hunted down” if they violated the law. He also pointed to his office’s record during this press conference, emphasizing that agents who break the law would face prosecution.
“If you break the law, you are… going to find out… Check our record… we’re pretty good at it, and we’re going to be pretty good at it this time again.”
At the airport, ICE agents, as noted, were not reported to be engaging in enforcement activity and remained present as security lines continued to move.
Krasner responded by threatening to arrest them anyway, despite no incident, no allegation, and no evidence of wrongdoing at the airport.
Editor’s Note: Democrats are fanning the flames and raising the rhetoric by comparing ICE to the Gestapo, fascists, and secret police.
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