WEST KITTANNING, Pennsylvania — On April 3, several dozen immigrants were lined up at an Armstrong County, Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles office. All were allegedly waiting to secure their commercial driver’s licenses. And all quickly ran in all directions when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrived at the DMV office located in a local strip mall.
Video footage showed a long line of young men waiting both inside and outside of the DMV, and who admitted to locals that they were from various countries. The video was shared both locally and nationally and prompted locals to contact the county sheriff’s office. Armstrong County Sheriff Frank Pitzer then informed the local ICE office.
When the ICE officers arrived at the center, the long line quickly broke up, with everyone scattering in multiple directions. Sheriff Pitzer told the local newspaper that when he arrived, the ICE enforcement had already ended and that “numerous people scattered throughout the community. I’m unsure of the reasons why they left. Were they illegal? Were they just scared? Obviously, we can’t answer that. … It went even as far as people exiting their vehicles and abandoning them on the street.”
Those who were caught were processed at the Pittsburgh ICE office, according to Jason Koontz, the Department of Homeland Security spokesman. Koontz shared a statement that said ICE had arrested 13 people from countries that included Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan.
Video footage and photos of the incident show ICE officers in pursuit of the men, some of whom were seen jumping over railings and disappearing into the nearby woods.
Koontz said that one of the pursuits got physical, leading to an arrest. “One illegal alien resisted arrest and assaulted a local officer — a crime.” Koontz said that local residents thanked ICE for investigating their concerns and responding to their calls, before adding that the incident remains under investigation.
Dozens of the men who fled remain unaccounted for, leading to concerns by Pfizer who worried about individuals wandering around the community who aren’t from this area. Koontz said that ICE showing up at the Armstrong County DMV was not a sting or a targeted operation but was instead a response to a tip from a local resident.
“ICE responded to calls from the East Franklin Police Department after concerned citizens reported an abnormally large amount of individuals outside the PennDOT driver licensing center in Kittaning, Pennsylvania,” he said.
Multiple fatal accidents involving illegal immigrants operating commercial tractor-trailers have occurred recently. Many of the drivers have been unable to speak or read English — knowledge that is essential to being able to navigate highway and street signs. This has led to crackdowns across the country. Indiana recently revoked 2,000 CDL’s issued to foreign nationals.
Two months ago, a 30-year-old Kyrgyzstan national, Bekzhan Beishekeev, was arrested by ICE after a Feb. 3, 2026, fatal crash in Indiana. He had been issued a CDL in Pennsylvania despite being in the U.S. under parole via the CBP One app. The issuance of a CDL remains a matter of controversy. Beishekeev stands accused of causing a deadly head-on collision.
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PennDOT press secretary Alexis Campbell said that the Driver’s License Center was processing medical form updates for people with non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits or driver’s licenses. PennDOT uses a database to verify immigration status. Campbell said that the state has been directed by the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to pause issuing non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits and driver’s licenses.
“Per the direction of FMCSA, no non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits or driver licenses were issued or reissued. PennDOT remains steadfast in following state and federal law and there is no activity or transaction occurring at West Kittanning or elsewhere that violates state or federal law.”