An ICE spokesperson said Friday that the Feb. 10 arrest and ongoing detention of a Springdale Borough resident was justified because he had previously entered the United States illegally.
Randy Ralphy Cordova Flores, originally from Peru, is being held at the Northern Regional Jail in Moundsville, West Virginia. His family has said he has no criminal history and has complied with the asylum request process. His arrest and detention has drawn criticism from U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, and spurred discussion of potential measures by the Allegheny Valley School District board.
ICE spokesperson Jason Koontz wrote in response to questions from Pittsburgh’s Public Source that Cordova Flores’ arrest was part of a joint operation between the federal immigration agency and the Springdale Borough police. The borough has an agreement, called a 287(g), with ICE to collaborate on immigration enforcement.
Cordova Flores committed a traffic violation and borough police stopped him, Koontz wrote.
A family member has disputed that, saying police followed him in what she has called a “setup.”
Online court records do not show a traffic ticket or any other law enforcement action involving Cordova Flores in Pennsylvania, and he hasn’t been charged with any federal crime in Western Pennsylvania.
Koontz wrote that in 2023, Customs and Border Patrol agents encountered Cordova Flores in Yuma, Arizona, and found that he had unlawfully entered the country. Koontz said Cordova Flores entered under the “catch and release program.”
Under that program, people caught crossing the border without authorization were processed, monitored via ankle bracelets or phone or regular check-ins, and allowed to remain in the U.S. but not in custody while their cases were heard. A judge first ruled against the program in 2023 but it lingered until early in the second Trump administration.
More recently, according to Koontz, Cordova Flores failed to show up for an immigration proceeding ordered by a judge. “He will now face consequences for violating our nation’s laws,” Koontz wrote.
A family member has said that Cordova Flores had been using the ICE app and complying with the check-in process required for those seeking asylum.
Deluzio said Thursday that he understood, based on the family’s account, that “Mr. Cordova Flores has a pending asylum determination, a valid work authorization and no criminal record.
“Once again, we need answers to basic questions about the reason for his arrest and why our government is seeking to remove him from the country. I’ll keep fighting for answers and accountability.”
Koontz added that Springdale Borough’s 287(g) agreement, inked in November, has put the municipality’s officers alongside ICE personnel “to identify and process illegal aliens encountered during local law enforcement activities” and that the federal agency routinely enforces immigration laws in the area.
Cordova Flores’ sister, Paulette Cordova Pacheco, declined to comment on the case other than to say she “believes in her brother.”
“I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported my family at this time,” she added.
Rich Lord is the managing editor at Pittsburgh’s Public Source and can be reached at rich@publicsource.org.
Jamie Wiggan contributed.
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