Temple University Student Arrested For Allegedly Impersonating ICE Agent

Aidan Steigelmann has been arrested and suspended from the school after the alleged incident

Three men in Philadelphia have been accused of impersonating ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents, leading to one Temple University student being arrested.

According to an announcement from Temple, the incident allegedly took place on the North Philadelphia campus on Feb. 1. Police officers from Temple responded to a call from Johnson & Hardwick Residence Hall after two individuals were alleged to be impersonating ICE agents trying to enter the premises while wearing shirts with “Police” and “ICE” written on them. Another person was recording the interactions. The men were denied entry.

The school was able to locate the suspects using cameras from the Temple Communication Center. Police identified one of the men as a student attending Temple, and he was taken into custody immediately. The investigation is still ongoing, but that student is presently on interim suspension.

CBS News Philadelphia has reported that the 22-year-old student, Aidan Steigelmann, has been charged with impersonating an officer. Steigelmann spoke to the two other men before they all left the area in a Jaguar SUV. Police officers arrived after the other two men vacated the area.

Temple University also put out a statement regarding what happened on campus and warned students that it is a crime to impersonate law enforcement.

“Impersonating law enforcement officers is a crime. This behavior and harassment of Temple community members will not be tolerated. The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) and Temple University Police (TUPD) swiftly responded to the incidents and initiated a criminal investigation. PPD is the lead investigative agency and TUPD is actively assisting to gather information.”

This incident took place barely a week after the university sent a notice to students concerned about rumors of ICE agents coming to campus. Temple assured students that neither Temple’s Department of Public Safety nor the Philadelphia Police Department have any reports of ICE agents being on campus. If they wanted to come on campus, they would have to follow proper procedures to be allowed on campus, including obtaining warrants or by court order.