Police at Temple University in Philadelphia are investigating after two students allegedly impersonated U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a business on campus over the weekend.
According to reports, the incident took place at Insomnia Cookies on Cecil B. Moore Avenue where two individuals were seen wearing shirts with 'ICE' and 'POLICE' in white lettering while one of them recorded the event.
Temple University campus police received reports of the impersonation and also noted that the suspects had attempted to enter Johnson and Hardwick Residence Hall earlier that night but were denied access.
Following a preliminary investigation, a 22-year-old Temple student, Aidan Steigelmann, was arrested and charged with impersonating a public servant. It is unclear whether Steigelmann is a current student or a former student of the university.
Temple University expressed deep concern over the incident, stating, 'It is deeply troubling and disappointing to know behavior like this reportedly occurred on our campus.'
An update from the campus public safety division revealed that all three individuals involved in the impersonation had been identified. Two of them are current students who have been placed on interim suspension, while the third person is a former student no longer affiliated with the university.
The public safety division emphasized that impersonating law enforcement officers is a serious offense and that such behavior and harassment of Temple community members will not be tolerated.
Both Temple’s Department of Public Safety and the Philadelphia Police Department confirmed that there were no reports of actual federal ICE agents being present on campus during the incident.
