Philadelphia DA Threatens to Arrest ICE Agents Operating at Airports
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner vowed at a March 24 press conference at Philadelphia International Airport to arrest ICE agents if they commit crimes, telling them "the president cannot pardon you" from state charges and that he would "put you in handcuffs...and if necessary...in a jail cell." He referenced two U.S. citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis in January 2026 during Operation Metro Surge, warning agents not to replicate such conduct "on the terrazzo floor of this airport." The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that ICE agents disappeared from public view when Krasner arrived. The threat came as ICE deployed armed officers to 13-14 major airports ostensibly to assist TSA during the DHS partial shutdown, now in its 40th day with TSA screeners having missed three paychecks. Critics including AFGE president Everett Kelley say ICE agents are "not trained or certified in aviation security" and cannot meaningfully help — at some airports agents have been handing out water bottles and managing queues — and argue the deployment serves immigration enforcement rather than airport security. A follow-up rally on March 26 by Philadelphia city council members and TSA union leaders demanded ICE leave PHL.
WHYY and the Philadelphia Inquirer both had reporters on-scene at the airport providing independent primary coverage, and 6ABC and NBC10 Philadelphia filed their own local reports — high-confidence converging sourcing on Krasner's statements and the ICE presence. The Townhall piece cited is commentary reacting to the event, not original reporting, but the underlying facts are well-established across multiple independent outlets. Critical correction: the summary's George Floyd reference was wrong — Krasner was referencing the January 2026 ICE killings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis (Renee Good and Alex Pretti), not the 2020 police killing, and 'fourth missed paycheck' should be third.