ACLU of Ohio’s report on 287(g) agreements

Read the ACLU of Ohio report, “ICE in Ohio,” here.

In early 2025, OIA joined the ACLU of Ohio and other organizations in sending a letter to Ohio county commissioners and sheriffs, reminding them that “there is no obligation to participate in federal immigration enforcement, and engagement could harm public safety, lead to serious legal liabilities, and impose heavy financial burdens.”

A new ACLU of Ohio report, “ICE in Ohio,” outlines the different types of formal agreements that ICE enters into with state and local governments, under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. “​Three types of contracts exist between various counties or municipalities and ICE and/or the U.S. Marshals Service related to immigration enforcement, transportation, and detention: (1) 287(g) agreements, (2) jail bed space contracts, and (3) jail transport services.” 

From: “ICE in Ohio,” ACLU of Ohio, March 30, 2026

In August 2025, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued an advisory opinion that stated that a “board of county commissioners may enter into an agreement with federal immigration authorities, on behalf of the sheriff, to detain aliens subject to removal in the county jail.  The sheriff, however, does not have independent contracting authority for this purpose.” Despite this, sheriffs continue to authorize federal immigration agreements. 

Ohio went from zero to twenty 287(g) agreements, signed by sixteen local police agencies, between the start of President Trump’s second term and March 27, 2026. (Prior to 2025, Geauga and Seneca County Jails operated as ICE detention sites under a different type of agreement.) View the list of 287(g) agreements in Ohio here. Most counties and municipalities in Ohio still do not have 287(g) agreements. 

Also, wrote the ACLU of Ohio, “On any given day, ICE has access to 1,272 jail beds across Ohio. If every bed available to ICE was full every day of the year, the total cost to the federal taxpayer would be $54,343,113.”

As OIA’s Executive Director Lynn Tramonte wrote: “There are people sitting in jails across Ohio who have not, and never will be, charged with a crime. They are there for 'civil immigration purposes.' But they're still in jail, and our federal tax dollars are still paying for it. This is an illogical and extreme immigration policy. Instead of using state and local police to deport as many people as possible, our leaders in Washington, DC should do their jobs. Create an immigration system that actually functions fairly and well. Here in Ohio, state and local police should stay focused on their core mission — public safety — not helping the Trump administration tear families apart.”

She continued: “Many of the people in immigration jail today also have paths to legal status available to them under the law. They have work permits, are paying taxes, and have applied for permanent legal status. One side of the law says they can stay, and another side says they are deportable, and the Trump administration chooses deportation. Instead of deporting them to fulfill some arbitrary quota, we should have an immigration system that allows them to obtain permanent residency and citizenship. 

“The Trump administration might not recognize immigrants’ humanity, but local officials and Ohio’s congressional delegation can. The first step is to stop participating in the mass deportation machine locally.”