Springdale Council and residents are divided over the local police department’s cooperation with ICE.
Several displeased residents took the chance to confront officials Tuesday at council’s first meeting since the detainment of Springdale resident Randy Cordova–Flores, 36, originally from Peru.
But the meeting — attended by a few dozen residents — didn’t offer a clear path forward.
To the chagrin of many attendees, council members offered no comment and no indication whether they plan to exit the borough’s 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Springdale Solicitor Craig Alexander said that’s because the Cordova-Flores incident is an ongoing federal investigation.
Springdale is one of two police departments in Allegheny County with such an agreement, which it signed in November without a public vote. The agreement gives local officers limited immigration enforcement powers and allows them to cooperate with ICE when they encounter noncitizens during normal police operations.
The detainment of Cordova-Flores, who was pulled over by Springdale police and accused of failing to use a turn signal, seems to be the first time the agreement has been put to use.
But nearly all of the more than dozen speakers at council’s Tuesday afternoon meeting urged council to pull out of the deal.
“We see what is happening around the country, the militarization and rising authoritarianism, and right now, you all are choosing to be a part of it,” resident Chris Cummings said. “You’re choosing to endorse it. I’m ashamed of you guys.”
Lillian Malinowski, a student at Allegheny Valley School District, said Springdale’s cooperation with ICE had created distrust between residents and the police, a sentiment echoed by several other speakers.
She said she fears for her friends from immigrant backgrounds in the borough and wondered whether she could be targeted next.
“I felt safe here, but now I’m not sure I can trust our police,” Malinowksi said.
Others took direct aim at Springdale police Chief Derek Dayoub, some citing past reports of alleged misconduct.
At the podium, resident Ian Hill said Dayoub had threatened him in the past.
When the chief started to rebut the claim, Hill tried to shout him down; police escorted him from room.
Dayoub declined a request for comment.
Matt Lang, a resident and frequent meeting attendee, said he understands officials were “trying to do what (they) can” to keep Springdale united, but he said it feels like the borough is “falling apart.”
He acknowledged the tension and mutual fear in Springdale, especially coming fresh off a series of contentious meetings related to a proposed data center development in Springdale.
“I think everybody’s a bit up in arms,” Lang said. “We’re all frustrated; we’re all agitated.”
But he asked council to “reevaluate” its agreement with ICE and allow public discussions about dissolving it.
In a statement Friday afternoon, an ICE spokesman said Cordova-Flores “failed to report to his immigration proceedings as ordered by a judge.”
Border Patrol agents encountered Cordova-Flores in 2023 near Yuma, Ariz., after he “unlawfully entered the United States during the Biden Administration’s catch and release program,” the statement said.
A search of state and federal court dockets showed no past or pending criminal charges against Cordova-Flores.
Cordova-Flores’ sister, Paulette, said he has a “pending asylum” status case. 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 Pennsylvania driver’s license, Social Security card and current work permit, according to Paulette.
A Saturday rally, which drew dozens of people to downtown Springdale to call for Cordova-Flores’ release, briefly turned unruly when a counterprotester physically engaged with a photographer and argued with protesters.
Springdale released the man pending an investigation. As of Tuesday afternoon, it didn’t appear any charges had been filed related to the incident.
ICE records show Cordova-Flores is being held in its Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County.