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. 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.

ICE, immigration and local response

Reporting on the reach and impact of immigration enforcement in Pittsburgh and across Southwestern Pennsylvania.

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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More on this topic

Springdale arrest and ICE cooperation prompt Allegheny Valley schools to weigh options

The wife of a Guatemalan-born U.S. citizen fears for his safety after local police reportedly assisted an ICE detention. She wants the schools to keep agents out.

Turn-signal stop prompts ICE detention for father of two in Springdale

Borough police, who have an agreement to cooperate with ICE, pulled the Peruvian man over on his way to work, according to family who said he is in compliance with asylum processes.

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ICE: Detained Springdale man entered U.S. illegally and missed court date

by Rich Lord, Pittsburgh's Public Source
February 13, 2026

<h1>ICE: Detained Springdale man entered U.S. illegally and missed court date</h1> <p class="byline">by Rich Lord, Pittsburgh's Public Source <br />February 13, 2026</p> <p>An ICE spokesperson said Friday that the <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/ice-detains-springdale-asylum-seeker/">Feb. 10 arrest</a> and ongoing detention of a Springdale Borough resident was justified because he had previously entered the United States illegally.</p> <p>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 <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/ice-detains-springdale-asylum-seeker/">has drawn criticism</a> from U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, and spurred <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/ice-arrest-immigration-springdale-allegheny-valley-schools/">discussion of potential measures</a> by the Allegheny Valley School District board.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Cordova Flores committed a traffic violation and borough police stopped him, Koontz wrote.&nbsp;</p> <p>A family member has disputed that, saying police followed him in what she has called a “setup.”&nbsp;</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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. 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.</p> <div class="wp-block-group alignright is-style-border"> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><a href="https://www.publicsource.org/category/ice-immigration-and-local-response/"><img src="https://www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IMG_2373.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1324593" style="width:310px" /></a></figure> <h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ice-immigration-and-local-response"><a href="https://www.publicsource.org/category/ice-immigration-and-local-response/">ICE, immigration and local response</a></h4> <p style="font-size:16px;margin-top: -1.5em"><em>Reporting on the reach and impact of immigration enforcement in Pittsburgh and across Southwestern Pennsylvania.</em></p> </p></div> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>“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.”</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Cordova Flores’ sister, Paulette Cordova Pacheco, declined to comment on the case other than to say she “believes in her brother.”  </p> <p>“I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported my family at this time,” she added.&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Rich Lord is the managing editor at Pittsburgh’s Public Source and can be reached at </em><a href="mailto:rich@publicsource.org"><em>rich@publicsource.org</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p><em>Jamie Wiggan contributed.</em></p> <div class="wp-block-group"> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> </div> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org/ice-response-springdale-arrest-randy-flores/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org&quot;&gt;Pittsburgh&#039;s Public Source&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-ps_circle_favicon_blue.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=1329517&amp;amp;ga4=G-CCLXQK5C14&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://www.publicsource.org/ice-response-springdale-arrest-randy-flores/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/publicsource.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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