Overview
- ICE detained 13 people outside the West Kittanning PennDOT center after East Franklin police reported an unusually large crowd Friday.
- DHS said those arrested included nationals of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, and it alleged one person resisted and assaulted an officer as the agency reviews the operation.
- PennDOT said the site was handling medical‑form updates for non‑domiciled commercial license holders, uses the federal SAVE database to verify immigration status, and has paused issuing those credentials under federal motor‑carrier guidance.
- Armstrong County Sheriff Frank Pitzer said he forwarded reports of a large group to ICE yet received no advance notice of detentions, and state police declined to comment on coordination.
- A Pittsburgh advocacy group said a website error sent people to that location for commercial license renewals not offered at the DMV, and KDKA noted a nearby chiropractor’s sign advertising DOT/CDL exams rather than DMV services.