As ICE activity rises, Norristown residents are demanding answers over police coordination: ‘This community is under siege’

A nationwide immigration crackdown has cast waves of fear, frustration and uncertainty throughout the Montgomery County seat.

More than 70 people gathered Tuesday evening for a vigil outside Norristown Municipal Hall to call attention to a surge in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the community.

“This community is under siege by ICE,” said Stephanie Vincent, a lead organizer with Montco Community Watch. “What people are seeing in Minnesota is not new — the violence, the kidnapping, the disrespect for due process is happening right here in our towns and in Norristown.”

The candlelight gathering coincided with a municipal council meeting. Organizers used the public comment section to demand transparency from the Norristown Police Department regarding its relationship with ICE.

“We see them all the time together,” said Denisse Agurto, executive director of Unides Para Servir Norristown.

Agurto began her public comment with a mask on — a mask she said ICE officers often wear when patrolling along Marshall Street.

Norristown does not honor ICE detainer requests unless accompanied by a “validly executed judicial warrant.” The municipality also discourages government departments, including the police, from sharing information with the federal agency.

However, Norristown police chief Michael Trail acknowledged that officers do have contact with ICE agents. Trail told WHYY News that his department is “trying to balance” its responsibilities, but he said his officers are not assisting ICE.

“When you’re seeing a Norristown police officer in the proximity of an ICE agent, it’s natural assume that we’re assisting, but lot of times we are called there for other ancillary reasons or quite frankly, I would like our officers there because I want our officers to know and I want federal law enforcement to know that we’re out here protecting our community,” Trail said.

Trail met with Agurto shortly after her public comment, and the two shared a dialogue outside of the council’s chambers.

Despite the blistering cold Tuesday night, the vigil drew members from various communities in and around Norristown.

“We are reminded that whereas it is not a sin or moral failing to not have worldly paperwork, it is a sin and moral failing to turn away our neighbor,” said Rev. Leslie Mamas, of Olivet-Schwenkfelder United Church of Christ in East Norriton.

According to Vincent, Montco Community Watch estimates ICE has detained at least 140 people in the county since the crackdown began.

“We’ve crossed into the territory where ICE has become the law enforcement arm of a fascist regime,” Vincent said. “And it’s time to start saying that out loud. It’s time to say that our public officials, our towns cannot work with this organization. It’s not acceptable, it’s not OK, and it’s about defending the Constitution.”

From Minneapolis to Norristown: ‘People are afraid’

Norristown is home to approximately 36,000 people, nearly 18% of whom are foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census. For comparison, about 11% of Montgomery County residents identify as foreign-born.

ICE agents, in some instances masked, have zeroed in on Norristown since President Donald Trump took office for a second term, sparking a sense of fear throughout the 3.6-square-mile municipality.

“Here in Norristown, 40% of the population is Latino,” Agurto said. “We have our own commercial district that is Latino. We open businesses and our businesses are suffering.”

A high-profile ICE raid on a nearby Super Gigante grocery store in July 2025 left Norristown’s immigrant community and advocates shaken. Activists have called on localities across Montgomery County to establish policies to limit ties with federal immigration authorities.

The Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good by ICE officer Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has only heightened tensions.

“We were always saying that something is going to happen — like somebody’s going to be killed,” Agurto said. “And now we are seeing this.”

The Department of Justice is not actively investigating the circumstances of Good’s death. Instead, the federal government has pushed prosecutors to look into Good’s widow, sparking resignations among some prosecutors. Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would open the door for the deployment of active-duty troops.

“I’ve been a registered Republican my whole adult life and what’s happening in this country is making me — I don’t even recognize it anymore,” said vigil attendee Fiona Palladino, of King of Prussia.

Palladino said she’s a nurse who works with a 911 agency. She reiterated testimony from some of the public speakers that people are reluctant to call 911 for medical attention.

“They’re afraid, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to reassure people, ‘We’re not the cops. You’re safe with us. We’re not the cops,’” she said. “But that right there is going to discourage people from getting help, and there are going to be real injuries. There are going to be real deaths due to this kind of thing.”

Palladino called on people to “step up and be out here.” Lori Warren, of West Norriton, said she came out to support her fellow neighbors.

“I’m a white middle-aged woman, so I’m privileged, and I’m using my privilege to come out and to let our neighbors know that they’re not alone and that we want our police to protect them just like they would protect us,” Warren said.

Vincent said it’s a “pivotal moment” for police. She wondered aloud if ICE descends en masse on the Philadelphia area as it has in Minneapolis, how would local law enforcement respond?

“Are the police going to protect them?” she asked. “Are the police going to stop them?”