Neighbors in Norristown share their concerns and experiences after loved ones were apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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The past few weeks have been turbulent for the immigrant communities in Norristown. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained at least 25 individuals since May 30, causing widespread fear and hardship.
Rose De La Luz shared her heart-wrenching story. Her cousin, Aziel De La Luz, and her brother-in-law, Maximino Garces Trinidad, were picked up by ICE in May. Both individuals are hardworking, law-abiding citizens with no criminal records. The unfortunate incident occurred when Aziel was in a car with a driver who had legal status. The driver was stopped due to a broken taillight, but agents intimidated Aziel into speaking, leading to his detention.
Aziel remains in detention to this day, missing the birth of his child this week. "We are part of the society. We are human beings," Rose said. "It's just hardworking people that they're picking up at this point ... If there's people in the process, if there's people that don't have criminal backgrounds or you weren't even looking for them, why are you taking them? You're just ripping them from the community, disappearing them."
The fear of ICE raids is not just limited to the De La Luz family. Jannet Navarro, a Norristown resident, shared her struggle too. Her brother-in-law, Wilfridro Rafael Ojeda Solis, was detained on his way to work on June 2. Described as a hardworking man with no criminal record or bad habits, his family and many others have been devastated economically and emotionally.
"Es muy difícil vivir en miedo, no, estar con temor, con el terror de que al salir nos van a detener", dijo ella. "Yo realmente estoy aquí para alzar la voz para todas estas familias".
"It's really difficult to live in fear, to be dreading, to be terrified that when we go out they're going to detain us," she said. "I'm here really to speak out for all of these families."
Navarro added that the ICE agents who detained him wore face coverings.
When we contacted Philadelphia's ICE office for comment, they did not respond.
Mental Health Impact and the Call for Change
Denisse Agurto, executive director of Unides Para Servir, an immigrant-serving organization in Norristown, spoke about the impact the fear of ICE raids is having on people's mental health. "Our communities [are experiencing] this nightmare. They [are] living in fear," she said. "They really can't go out. So our community is really ... I can say they are bleeding. That's my word for everything, they are bleeding."
For several months now, Agurto and other advocates have been pressing Montgomery County commissioners to pass a welcoming county act. A significant aspect of this act involves ensuring that the Montgomery County Correctional Facility changes its current policy of holding people with ICE detainers for up to four hours after they posted bail, allowing federal agents to come and detain them.
Andrea Lozano-Alanis, a 31-year-old mother from Mexico, experienced this firsthand. She was held on an ICE detainer at Montgomery County Correctional Facility the night of June 6 after posting bail. Despite the four-hour window, ICE agents detained her before it expired. Lozano-Alanis is currently being held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Central Pennsylvania, and she is deeply concerned about her 6-year-old son, who is autistic.
"She was like, I need to be strong for him, just for him," Agurto said Lozano-Alanis told her.
Agurto believes this case underscores the need for a welcoming act, which would end the four-hour hold policy at the correctional facility. "We need it now," she said.
In May, commissioners Jamila Winder and Neil Makhija committed to not signing any 287(g) collaboration agreements with ICE and have expressed support for policies to support the county's immigrant communities. However, they have not yet committed to passing the welcoming act.
[1] Montgomery County's policy on ICE cooperation: https://www.mcgov.org/DocumentCenter/View/10779/Press-Release-ICE-Cooperation-Policy-PDF[2] Common immigration enforcement tactics in Montgomery County: https://www.mcgov.org/border-security-operations
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According to Agurto, change is long overdue. She urges community members and advocates to reach out to Nelly Jiménez-Arévalo, the county's first-ever director of immigrant affairs, and propose policies to support the county's immigrant communities. It's time to stand together and demand change.
- The escalating ICE activity in Norristown has prompted discussions around policy-and-legislation, with advocates pressing Montgomery County commissioners to pass a welcoming county act to protect the rights and welfare of its immigrant communities.
- As the fear and uncertainties of ICE raids permeate Norristown, politics play a significant role in shaping the lives of its residents, with advocates calling for change and urging community members to engage with Nelly Jiménez-Arévalo, the county's first-ever director of immigrant affairs, to propose policies that support the county's immigrant communities.
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