Temple says two people impersonated ICE agents on campus and one student is in custody as police investigate

Jeff Gammage, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Feb 3, 2025

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Philadelphia and Temple University police are investigating an incident where two people posing as ICE agents disrupted a business on campus on Saturday night, according to the school.

The pair wore shirts with “ICE” and “Police” in white lettering, while a third person videotaped the disturbance. One Temple student was in custody Sunday night and has been placed on interim suspension from the university.

The police agencies have initiated a criminal investigation, the school said.

The incident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, when the three, all male entered a business in the 1300 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue, the school said. Temple said they disrupted the store, but not provide specific details of what they allegedly said or did.

“Impersonating law-enforcement officers is a crime,” the school said in a statement from Jennifer Griffin, vice president for public safety and chief of police, and Jodi Bailey Accavallo, vice president for student affairs. “This behavior and harassment of Temple community members will not be tolerated.”

The incident occurred as reports of ICE activity have surged in the region, driving anxiety in migrant communities, and only days after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a North Philadelphia car wash and arrested seven men. Rumors of an impending ICE raid have unsettled Philadelphia’s famous Italian Market, closing businesses and leaving stalls vacant, though no large-scale enforcement has been reported there.

Last week Temple posted a statement that said despite rumors, neither the school nor city police had reports of ICE agents being on campus.

On Friday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said local elected officials and law-enforcement officers cannot be forced to comply with the planned crackdown on immigration, which he referred to as “Nazi stuff,” by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Krasner, a Democrat, joined City Council members and state representatives at City Hill to condemn the president’s actions, which include rescinding a policy that barred ICE agents from entering churches, schools, hospitals, and other “sensitive locations.”

ICE acting field office director Brian McShane responded on the social-media site X, saying “the brave men and women of ICE put their lives on the line everyday and place public safety over politics. Attempts to villainize them by people who are supposed to be leaders in the community is shameful and dangerous.”

ICE would carry out its mission “despite idol threats and dangerous rhetoric by these people,” he said, misusing the word “idol” for “idle.”

Temple officials said that while investigating the alleged impersonation, the school was notified that the three had earlier attempted to enter Johnson & Hardwick Residence Hall. They were denied access, the school said.

Temple used cameras to locate the car the three were using on and around campus, and Temple police quickly responded, the school said. They identified and took one Temple student into custody.

The status, whereabouts, and possible Temple affiliations of the other two were not immediately known.

Temple has asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the school police at Investigations@temple.edu or phone 215-204-1234. Anyone who notices concerning activity on campus should likewise call.

Staff writer Susan Snyder contributed to this article.