Pittsburgh police officers refrained from stepping in as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents struggled to apprehend a suspect near a local police station. This has sparked claims that officers were instructed to hold back.
Police Chief Jason Lando stated that he is unaware of any directive preventing officers from acting and has initiated an administrative investigation into the matter.
“I recently became aware of an incident outside the Zone 3 police station where ICE agents faced difficulties in detaining an individual,” Lando remarked in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh reported that the confrontation occurred when ICE agents tried to arrest a suspect near the Zone 3 station, leading to a physical struggle as the individual resisted.
Radio personality Colin Dunlap disclosed that a Pittsburgh police officer informed him that police were instructed to stand down during the incident.
“There have been allegations suggesting that Pittsburgh police officers were directed not to engage and merely observe,” Lando continued. “Although our officers did not intervene in this instance, I am unaware of any order that prohibited them from doing so.”
The incident occurred near the Zone 3 station, where ICE agents had stopped a vehicle at a nearby gas station and attempted to take a suspect into custody, according to Lando.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer’s badge and gear. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
While officers did not intervene, Lando emphasized that Pittsburgh police do not enforce federal immigration law and are not involved in ICE operations.
“Our job is not, and has never been, to conduct immigration enforcement,” Lando said. “We do not collaborate with ICE. We do not check immigration status on calls for service. We do not participate in ‘roundups.’”
He added that officers are still required to respond to emergency calls for assistance, including from other law enforcement agencies, but are instructed to assist only in securing the scene before returning to service.
Pittsburgh Police Chief Jason Lando ordered a review after officers did not intervene as ICE agents struggled with a suspect amid claims of a stand-down order. (Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Facebook)
Lando said he has directed the Zone 3 commander to conduct a review to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor has said the city will continue its policy of not assisting ICE operations, according to CBS News Pittsburgh.
O’Connor, a Democrat, made the comments in January after a fatal ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis, calling the incident a “tragedy” and emphasizing that Pittsburgh aims to remain a welcoming city for immigrants.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.
