Groups looking for ways to help after ICE raids Franklin County Montezuma Restaurants

Community organizations were still gathering information a day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested five men working at two Franklin County restaurants. Six workers were also arrested in Gettysburg, Adams County.

All of the men were employees at Montezuma Restaurants, a popular local chain of Mexican restaurants. While Gettysburg's location was shut down Friday following the Thursday raid, the affected locations in Chambersburg and Waynesboro were open for business as normal.

A person who answered the phone Friday at the Waynesboro restaurant said, "we don't want to say anything, we just want to work." The person who answered the phone at the Chambersburg, Wayne Avenue, location declined to provide comment.

All three locations, along with two others, have the same owner. He could not be reached for comment Friday.

More: 11 arrested in Mexican restaurant raids in Franklin, Adams counties

More: Gettysburg community responds to Central Pa. ICE raids

All 11 individuals arrested are detained at York County Prison, according to ICE officials.

Those arrested were found to be in violation of immigration law, according to ICE officials.

"ICE regularly conducts targeted enforcement operations during which additional resources and personnel are dedicated to apprehending deportable foreign nationals," ICE officials said.

Noel Purdy with the Franklin County Coalition for Progress said the group was still trying to assess the local impact of the raids and the needs of those affected. The coalition, whose mission statement is "advancing social justice and equality for all residents in Franklin County," offered assistance to the families affected, Purdy said.

American Civil Liberties Union of Pennslyvania Immigration Rights Attorney Gonaz Fakhimi said Friday the ACLU learned of the raids from its "community-based partners."

The organization is still learning about the situations surrounding the raids and trying to find how it can assist along with the community organizations already on the ground.

"From our perspective, we always have an interest with people who were affected or who are connected," Fakhimi said.

The ACLU will look at the lawfulness of raids because the consequences of immigration detention can be so grave.

"The stakes are very, very high," Fakhimi said. "Unfortunately, experience shows it's not uncommon for the raids to have been undertaken in a problematic way."

Mary Studzinski, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center, said there are three main reasons why someone would choose to enter the U.S. without documentation.

They likely want to find employment "and a better life essentially," want to be united with family or they are fleeing persecution and violence, Studzinski said.

Obtaining legal status can be difficult for undocumented immigrants, especially if they came to the U.S. for work, according to Studzinski.

That is because it is "almost impossible" for employers to assist undocumented employees with attaining legal status, Studzinski said.

The pathway is a bit clearer for those with a family relationship in the U.S. or those who are able to apply for asylum.

The executive orders from President Donald Trump's administration have resulted in a "harsh impact on immigrant families in our communities," Studzinski said.

"It rescinded all prior priorities so now that anyone, regardless of their history, if they currently don't have permanent status, can be swept into detention," she added.

Fakhimi said detainment often takes two paths, depending on whether or not someone is released on bail.

More: Local stores close for 'A Day Without Immigrants'

Though immigration enforcement is civil in nature, detainees are able to be released on bail which can provide them with huge advantages.

"For those who are able to gain their release, it can be a game changer," Fakhimi said, adding it can put the case on a slower track and create time. "In the meantime, it's time back at home with their families, back in the community, back to work, time as well to more adequately prepare defenses in the removal and immigration court."

Fakhimi also said cases involving those who remain detained are supposed to happen quickly but often do not due to a backlog in the immigration court system.

Immigration enforcement became more aggressive after President Donald Trump took office, with the acting director of ICE telling Congress, "If you're in this country illegally and you committed a crime by entering this country, you should look over your shoulder."

Fakhimi cited reporting from ProPublica that showed Philadelphia's ICE field office is the most aggressive in the country and detains the highest rate of immigrants who do not have criminal convictions, or "noncriminal immigration violators," as ICE refers to them.

For those that do commit crimes in Pennsylvania, ICE will detain defendants who have gone through the judicial system, and the Pennsylvania Department of Justice regularly releases information about people who have been convicted of illegal re-entry into the country after being deported previously due to criminal conduct.

It is unclear whether any of the men detained in Franklin or Adams counties were the subject of criminal or immigration investigations prior to their detainment.

Becky Metrick, 717-262-4762