ICE Raids Hit Norristown, Spark 'Terror' In Community

NORRISTOWN, PA — Agents from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) swept through the greater Norristown area on Wednesday, sparking fear and panic in local communities with heavy immigrant populations.

The Mexican consulate, based in Philadelphia, said they were monitoring the situation, and advocacy groups are scrambling to provide families with access to legal assistance and other resources.

"More than 25 ICE vehicles entered our community with the sole purpose of intimidating and attacking our families," shared the local nonprofit group, Unides Para Servir Norristown. "This is unacceptable. We demand an immediate stop to these destructive practices that break homes, generate terror and violate human dignity."

The ICE Philadelphia field office did not immediately respond to a request for comment or more information on the raids, but The Inquirer reported that at least 14 people had been taken into custody Wednesday.

It punctuates several days of arrests and detentions reported around Montgomery County over the past week, as President Trump's nationwide crackdown, which has raised cries of civil rights abuses, continues.

"In the presence of migrant authorities today in Norristown, PA, this Consulate is monitoring the situation in case there are affected Mexican people," the Mexican consulate in Philadelphia said in a statement. "If you require consular assistance, contact the emergency telephone: 215-266-3740."

Project Libertad, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit working with immigrant children, first warned of the raid at around 9:20 a.m. at the Super Gigante in West Norriton.

"Stay away and please contact us if you or a relative have been detained and need help locating a lawyer," the group added.

Earlier in the morning, a large gathering of agents was reported on Ridge Pike in Conshohocken near 476.

Smaller raids and arrests in recent days have been reported by watch groups in Ambler and Cheltenham.

Montgomery County was one of 11 counties in Pennsylvania to make a special Homeland Security list of jurisdictions violating federal orders to comply with ICE agents. The county and its leadership have been outspoken both in support of immigrants and in rejecting calls from ICE for the support of local law enforcement.

Montgomery County has recently created a new Immigrant Resource Center and hired a new director of Immigrant Affairs since Trump's inauguration. Commissioner Jamila Winder said "we are taking every step we can" to support the immigrant community.

"Norristown is a place of resilience and culture," Winder added. "We will continue to celebrate and uplift our diversity, despite fears, threats, or bigotry."

In addition to support from the county, the Norristown Police Department has also put out flyers on to help citizens identify actual Norristown police officers, and differentiate them from potential ICE agents.