WEST NORRITON — Fourteen individuals were detained Wednesday morning in an immigration enforcement operation at a supermarket in West Norriton Township.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson confirmed the activity in a brief statement to MediaNews Group Wednesday afternoon, as witnesses observed a swarm of more than two dozen agents and 25 vehicles at the shopping center containing the Super Gigante – West Norriton Farmers Market at 1930 W. Main St.
Unides Para Servir Norristown representatives took to social media Wednesday morning, sharing “#Norristown is under attack.”
“More than 25 ICE vehicles entered our community with the sole purpose of intimidating and attacking our families,” the Norristown-based nonprofit said in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.
Montgomery County Commissioners hear impassioned pleas from immigrant community
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Agents from several agencies, including federal immigration operatives, the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. The Department of Homeland Security reportedly “conducted a federal court-authorized search” at the Montgomery County-based supermarket, according to an ICE spokesperson.
“During the execution of the search warrant, 14 individuals were encountered who did not have legal status to be in the United States. These 14 individuals were taken into ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” an ICE spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday, adding “this is an ongoing investigation, and no further information will be released at this time.”
When Unides Para Servir Norristown Executive Director Denisse Agurto heard of the incident, fellow activists and residents shared with her that the commercial complex was surrounded.
“So every single place they hit and they (tried) to get inside, and they actually did. So it’s not just to the supermarket … it was the … whole shopping center,” Agurto told MediaNews Group.
Areas in and around Norristown have seen escalating immigration enforcement actions in recent weeks as part of directives issued by President Donald Trump since the start of his second term. Sharon Hale Mauch, a Norristown Area School District school board member, witnessed the morning’s proceedings firsthand as she addressed county commissioners during Wednesday’s board meeting.
“It was heartbreaking to watch these men being taken into these vehicles. It was also very upsetting that one of the protesters, who was part of the group that I joined, a gun was pointed at her by these ICE agents,” Hale Mauch said during Wednesday’s board meeting.
Hale Mauch expressed concern over the agents’ attire. “They weren’t identified as ICE agents on their gear. They all had camouflage on. They all had masks on.”
Community for Change Montgomery County Lead Organizer Stephanie Vincent sought to “ring the alarm bell for Montgomery County,” as she noted the “major ICE action” that took place earlier in the day. Vincent said she saw a number of agents “in full tactical gear and long guns.”
“They took collateral. They took people shopping,” she said, adding that “we’re living in unprecedented times. It’s going to get worse if we stay silent. What’s happening when ICE rolls into Norristown and armored vehicles dressed like soldiers? It happened today.”
Unides Para Servir Norristown’s social media accounts indicated heightened immigration enforcement outside the county seat, which has been spotlighted in recent weeks. Vincent echoed similar areas, including Ambler, Conshohocken, Hatfield, King of Prussia, Maple Glen, and Pottstown.
“They’re taking people from their families, most often on their way to work,” Vincent said. “Many of these individuals have no criminal record at all, and if they do have a record, it’s often an old DUI or an immigration case that’s already tied up in legal proceedings.”
Consul Carlos Obrador, head consul of the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia, said in a statement late Wednesday that “the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia is aware of the immigration operation conducted today at a supermarket in the Norristown area. We are in the process of confirming the number of Mexican nationals affected in this operation, but we know that at least six Mexican individuals were detained.”
The increased activity in recent weeks has left people on edge as advocates stress a level of fear within the Norristown community.
“They want to do something. They want to come out, they’re afraid, but at the same time, they are tired [of] seeing this, and this coming worse, and people were saying, ‘this is the new California,’ ” Agurto said.
Source: Berkshire mont