ICE Moving Into Main Line Offices

BERWYN, PA — ICE activity in the Philadelphia suburbs has seemingly ramped up in the past few weeks.

Detainments have been confirmed in Lower Merion, Phoenixville, and Lower Providence recently. And ICE purchased a 527,000-square-foot warehouse in Berks County recently for detainment purposes.

Now, a new report says ICE is moving into a Main Line office building.

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Wired published an extensive report Tuesday on the agency's expansion across the nation. According to Wired, ICE is looking to move into a building at 1000 Westlakes Drive in Berwyn.

Hillside Elementary School in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District is just about a mile away, and Bear Hill Elementary School, which is expected to open next year, is about a quarter mile away.

Tredyffrin Township officials know residents have questions and are concerned about the news reports that the Government Services Administration (GSA), the Federal government’s property management branch, on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, as confirmed by the property owner,

According to Tredyffrin Township, Government Services Administration, the federal government’s property management branch, on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, will be a tenant for roughly 10,000 square feet of office space at the Westlakes Office Complex.

Officials said the office complex is in the C-2 Commercial District of the Township and consists of offices, conference rooms and a café.

It's unclear when the office will be occupied, the township said.

Township officials have no information on the intended activity coming to the location, beyond administrative office use.

Savvy Main Line reports representatives for Westlakes said the office will house lawyers and analysts rather than agents, nor will it support agents' operations.

State Rep. Melissa Shusterman (D-157th District) released a statement Wednesday on ICE in the area.

"Our community has strong opinions and feelings about federal immigration enforcement actions. I hear you," she said. "I stand with you. We must all add our voices and say we have had enough of anonymous, unaccountable federal agents terrorizing our neighborhoods and trampling on our constitution."

Shusterman said she has "limited legislative options to bring ICE under control." However, she said, as a citizen, she will not "stand for my communities and neighbors being put in danger."

"We will not stand by idly as families are traumatized," she said. "We will not be silent. We will insist on law and order and stand with our local and state police who live in the communities they serve. My colleagues and I will do what we can to protect our rights."

Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe and Chester County Police Chiefs Association President Michael Carroll issued a statement on ICE activity in the county last week after the Phoenixville detainment.

"Chester County law enforcement does not enforce civil immigration orders. In fact, none of the police departments in Chester County have signed a Section 287(g) Agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement," the joint statement reads.

Section 287(g) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which allows ICE "to delegate state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight."

Federal authorities say the Program "enhances the safety and security of our nation’s communities by allowing ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to partner with state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to identify and remove criminal aliens who are amenable to removal from the United States."

"Chester County law enforcement is dedicated to protecting the public, regardless of their immigration status," they said. That means we will keep families, businesses, and their property safe during times of unrest. It means that we will hold people accountable for interfering with law enforcement. It also means that we are devoted to ensuring that residents can exercise their constitutional right to peacefully protest. We have always been, and continue to be, protective of your right to free speech and your right to property."

Township officials affirmed the sentiment in the joint statement, reiterating that local law enforcement does not enforce civil immigration orders, that the township has no connection with the activities of ICE, and that township resources are focused on providing for the health, safety, and welfare of all members of our community.

Patch has reached out to Westlakes representatives and will update the story when additional information is made available.