Springdale and federal officials remained mostly mum Wednesday after the arrest of a borough resident by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Tuesday.
Randy Cordova-Flores, 36, remains in custody at Northern Regional Correctional Facility and Jail near Moundsville, W.Va., according to ICE records.
Originally from Peru, Cordova- Flores was detained after Springdale police stopped him for failing to use a turn signal near the corner of Lincoln and James streets, his sister, Paulette Cordova, told TribLive.
Cordova-Flores has a pending asylum status case. He has been in the United States for nearly three years, Paulette said. He works as a landscaper but also took jobs as a food delivery driver during winter months, she said.
Cordova-Flores has a Real ID, Social Security card and current work permit, according to Paulette. A search of state and federal court dockets showed no past or pending criminal charges against him.
But so far, officials haven’t said why he was detained by ICE.
ICE spokesman Jason Koontz said the agency prepared a statement about Cordova-Flores’ detainment, but it had not yet been approved for release.
Councilman Joe Kern was the sole Springdale representative to offer any comment.
He said he’s looking into the situation but he had confidence in the government process. He cited the recent release of Oakmont resident Jose Flores after Flores spent more than a week in the same West Virginia jail where Cordova-Flores is being held.
“We have to just trust the system,” Kern said. “I’m wishing his family the best.”
Councilman Dan Copeland, who serves as the borough’s public safety chair, declined to comment.
The five other council members didn’t return TribLive requests for comment. Neither did Mayor Joel Anderson.
Multiple business owners and employees along Pittsburgh Street declined to comment about the detainment.
Springdale Police were similarly silent.
Officers said police Chief Derek Dayoub was unavailable when a TribLive reporter arrived at the police station on two occasions Wednesday. A phone call to the chief also went unanswered.
Springdale is one of two police departments in Allegheny County that maintains a 287(g) agreement with ICE, which it discreetly signed in November without discussing it in public. The agreement gives local officers limited immigration enforcement powers and allows them to cooperate with ICE when they encounter noncitizens during normal police operations.
Kern said he doesn’t expect recent ICE activity in the borough to affect the agreement.
Discussions about ICE did come up at Allegheny Valley School Board’s meeting Tuesday night, however.
Director Amy Sarno — a close family friend of Paulette and Cordova-Flores — said she’s pushing the board to adopt a “Welcoming Schools” policy devised by the American Civil Liberties Union, which would mostly serve to firm up the district’s existing policies.
Cordova-Flores’ two young children are students in the district.
Allegheny Valley Superintendent Patrick Graczyk said the board could adopt a clearer resolution, but he said current policies have served the district well.
“Not just anyone can come into our schools,” he said.
Graczyk said Allegheny Valley is offering extra support to any students who need it. He also said schools can also provide a sense of normalcy and habit during uneasy periods.
“We also want to make a student’s day feel as normal as possible,” he said.
The true litmus test for the community’s reaction to Cordova-Flores’ detainment may come at a protest planned for Saturday.
Sarno and other locals are planning to gather at noon at the corner of Pittsburgh and School streets to call for Cordova-Flores’ release.
She said she’s hoping for at least 50 people to line the sidewalks throughout Springdale’s main drag on Valentine’s Day. The group planning the gathering, which Sarno described as “completely community led,” hopes to have more information online soon.
“It’s a peaceful protest with a message of love,” Sarno said.
Springdale Council meets the following Tuesday, Feb. 17.
As of Wednesday afternoon, an online fundraiser for the Cordova family has received nearly 250 donations and garnered more than $16,000.
