Fears heightened as ICE detains several people in Chester County

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

There are heightened fears among undocumented families following an operation by federal agents in Chester County.

ICE took several people into custody on Friday, Action News learned.

Video from the Facebook group ¿Qué Pasa, Kennett Square? shows federal agents outside of a tire shop on Baltimore Pike taking people away in handcuffs.

Word quickly spread on social media that ICE was making rounds in Kennett Square.

“There was a lot of concern. News travels fast, it’s a small close-knit community,” said State Representative Christina Sappey.

Sappey said people have been walking on eggshells, they’ve known this could happen due to the diversity in the community.

“From what I’ve been told it was not a large-scale operation, but nevertheless it’s very concerning because we do have a wonderful Latino population here and they contribute to our economy and culture in every possible way,” noted Sappey.

Photos shared on social media on Friday showed a large number of federal agents operating in a strip mall parking lot in close proximity to the tire shop.

“Fear is high in the community. Everyone wants to know what they should do to stay protected,” noted Lindsey Sweet, partner at Sweet & Paciorek, LLC.

As a local immigration attorney, Sweet has no choice but to have her eyes and ears on the ground to know what’s going on in the community.

“From what I heard from our sources, immigration was attempting to enter a private residence because they were not successful. No one answered the door, that’s when the detentions that happened (Friday) happened next door to their target location,” explained Sweet.

She said the community appears to be listening that no one should open their doors and invite ICE inside without a signed judicial warrant.

“A judicial warrant should specify the court which issued it, the name of the subject, the exact location, the date it was signed, and period of validity,” detailed Sweet.

Kennett Consolidated School District sent out a note to parents assuring students’ safety following federal law.

“From what we understand, ICE does still seem to be making targeted enforcement actions, looking for certain individuals that do present a danger to the community, which I think we’re all in agreement is the correct method of action,” explained Sweet.

The fear this created left businesses in Kennett Square closing early to be sure ice had left the area.