A 10,000 sq. ft. DHS office is en route to Tredyffrin; A published report says it may support an ICE surge

1000 Westlakes Drive in Berwyn will house Department of Homeland Security support staff and attorneys. The business park’s other tenants include financial services, tech, legal and software companies.

The U.S. government plans to put DHS “back office” facility in Westlakes, an upscale office park in Berwyn, according to federal records obtained by the investigative news outlet, WIRED.

Flush with $85 billion in ICE funding from “The Big Beautiful Bill” Act, the U.S. General Services Administration has been quietly leasing office space for DHS teams to support ICE surges team in nearly every state. The list of secured leases includes two in the Philly metro area: 801 Arch Street in Center City and 1000 Westlakes Drive in Berwyn. The WIRED report does not specific the exact use of the Berwyn offices.

Just off Route 252 and Swedesford Rd., 1000 Westlakes is one of four buildings in the 65-acre business park. Classified as Class A office space, its marketing materials tout its “modern amenities” including two lakes, on-site dining and fitness facilities. Westlakes’ leasing is handled by two JLL agents. Neither immediately responded to our requests for comment.

There appear to be two vacant office suites on the first floor of 1000 Westlakes, one of which is a former branch of PNC bank. Upper floors were mostly vacant during our site visit Wednesday morning.

Directly across from 1000 Westlakes, the future home of Bear Hill Elementary, Tredyffrin/Easttown School District’s sixth elementary school, is currently under construction at 1200 W. Swedesford Rd. In the other direction, the Fairfield Inn & Suites at 1005 Westlakes Drive (below) is a short stroll away.

Presumably, the Berwyn location was chosen for its easy access to major roadways including Route 202, Route 30, Route 252 and the PA Turnpike.

Nearly 10% of Chester County residents are foreign-born. The most diverse communities are Kennett Square, Coatesville, Parkesburg, Oxford/Avondale, West Chester and Downingtown/Exton. One-third of the population in nearby Norristown identifies as Latino.

ICE has stepped up its presence in the western Philly suburbs in recent months.

In the Main Line area, ICE arrests have been recorded by bystanders at The Yards at Malvern on January 23, on Overbrook Parkway in Lower Merion January 30, and in a parking lot off Bridge St. near the courthouse in Phoenixville on February 3. On Tuesday, elected officials in Montgomery County held a news conference to decry what they called the “brutality” of an ICE arrest on Monday that involved more than a dozen government vehicles staking out a private home near Norristown and breaking down the family’s front door.

Headquartered less than a mile away, Tredyffrin officials tell SAVVY they were not informed and unaware of the federal government’s reported plan to open a DHS office in the township.

Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors Chair David Miller had no comment while Tredyffrin Police Chief Mike Beaty referred SAVVY to the February 5 joint statement issued by the Chester County Police Chiefs Association and the Chester County DA.

That statement stressed that local law enforcement does not enforce civil immigration orders, noting that none have contracted with ICE and that local law enforcement’s focus is on enforcing local laws.

“Chester County law enforcement is dedicated to protecting the public, regardless of their immigration status,” the statement reads. “It means we will keep families, businesses and their property safe during times of unrest. It means that we will hold people accountable for interfering with law enforcement. It also means we are devoted to ensuring that residents can exercise their rights to peacefully protest. We have always, and will continue to be, protective of your right to free speech and your right to property.”

Beaty says chiefs from 20 Chester County municipalities helped draft the document which “should put everyone at ease,” adding “This was a well-crafted statement about working together to address the concerns of the community.”

EDITOR’S UPDATE: Several hours after our story published, we received an email from ICR Inc., a reputation and crisis management company (per its website) hired by Westlakes or its leasing broker, JLL, asking us to attribute the following statement to “a spokesperson for Westlakes”: “We have signed a lease with the Department of Homeland Security. However, it is inaccurate to say this is an ICE office – the space will not house ICE agents or support their operations. It is strictly for back-office officials, such as lawyers and analysts.” We have since omitted ICE from our headline, referencing instead the U.S. DHS which directs and supports all ICE activities. Our story has always attributed the ICE reference to the initial report in WIRED.