Interfaith Vigils at All Six ICE Jails in Ohio Call for an End to Immigration Detention
Press Advisory: May 23-30 Week of Action
CONTACTS
Statewide: Ohio Immigrant Alliance (hotline@ohioimmigrant.org or 419-777-HELP)
Seneca: Runa Guzman (4winds419@proton.me or 567-868-5866)
Geauga: Holly Riggle (dlsg85@gmail.com)
Mahoning: Chris Harris (meadowbirds005@proton.me or 330-314-3055)
Butler: Rev. Emily Kvalheim (she/her) (umcimmigrationministriesohio@gmail.com)
NEOCC: Chris Harris (meadowbirds005@proton.me or 330-314-3055)
CCNO: Jess Molina (Jessmolina2407@gmail.com or 419-308-7129)
ACROSS OHIO - Faith leaders, advocates, and community members will gather for a statewide Week of Action featuring interfaith vigils in solidarity with people held in civil immigration detention (ICE jail) between May 23 and May 30. These peaceful events will include prayer, reflection, and brief speaking programs.
Participants are calling for an end to ICE detention; transparency in detention facility funding; and an end to 287(g) agreements.
Community members are encouraged to attend a vigil near them or organize one in their area. A planning toolkit is available here.
Quotes from organizers are available at the end of this text.
WHO: Faith leaders and interfaith clergy; local organizers; and community members
WHEN: May 23 – May 30, 2026
WHERE: Vigils will take place outside each ICE detention facility in Ohio. Specific location and parking information is available here.
Seneca County Jail (Tiffin) — May 23, 1:00 PM–3:00 PM
Geauga County Jail — May 28, 7:00 PM–8:30 PM
Mahoning County Jail (Youngstown) — May 28, 6:00 PM
Butler County Jail (Hamilton) — May 30, 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
Northeast Ohio Correctional Center — May 30, 1:00 PM in gravel lot north of facility entrance
Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio — May 30, 4:00 PM
WHY: People across Ohio are uniting to shine a light on the realities of immigration detention and to demand dignity, transparency, and justice for all people. These vigils will uplift the voices of Ohioans dealing with detention and deportation, calling attention to the human costs of current immigration policies and the need for systemic change.
Ohioans of all faiths believe we have a moral responsibility to welcome and care for immigrants who want to make Ohio their home, and oppose policies that separate families, undermine due process, and detain individuals simply for profit.
VISUALS
Interfaith clergy and community members in prayer
Candlelight vigils and peaceful gatherings
Signs calling for immigrant justice and an end to ICE detention
Speakers sharing stories and reflections
RESOURCES
Learn about the movement to end ICE jail in Ohio, which cancelled two contracts following the first Trump administration and is working to do it again.
Gather data about the six ICE detention centers in Ohio, as well as the statewide picture.
Watch a video about “life” inside the Butler County Jail.
Attend a vigil or organize your own, using this toolkit.
Learn about the Detained Immigrants Commissary Fund and make a donation.
Donate to help free Guadalupe.
Read about the experiences of Ohioans who were detained and deported in Broken Hope: Deportation and the Road Home.
QUOTES
Chris Harris, Organizer, Youngstown Area Interfaith Prayer Group (NEOCC Vigil Organizer)
“We stand with detained immigrants in Youngstown. A private prison company is profiting from people who can't access their own faith. That's wrong. That's illegal. We're demanding better. We are demanding religious and legal access for all detainees at the Youngstown CoreCivic facility. They came seeking safety. They deserve the right to pray. All people deserve the right to due process.”
Rev. Emily Kvalheim (she/her), Co-Chair, Task Force on United Methodist Immigration Ministries of Ohio (in that capacity and in her capacity as United Methodist clergy only), and a Participant in the Butler County Jail Vigil (umcimmigrationministriesohio@gmail.com)
“Every person inside immigration detention and the Butler County Jail is a human being with sacred worth. That includes every ICE detainee — every asylum-seeker who fled persecution or torture, every neighbor who was ripped from their home, every mother who is separated from her children, every domestic violence survivor who is being retraumatized right now — as well as the sheriff and other leaders who are upholding systemic sin. My faith in Christ calls me to love my neighbor, pray for my enemies, and stand in solidarity with the poor and the oppressed, including all migrants, asylum-seekers, refugees, and immigrants who are being targeted, terrorized, and detained right now.
“The Task Force on United Methodist Immigration Ministries of Ohio believes that we must welcome the stranger and treat migrants, asylum-seekers, refugees, and immigrants as our native-born citizens. E.g., Leviticus 19:33-34, Matthew 25:35. We oppose all laws and policies that attempt to criminalize, dehumanize, or punish displaced individuals and families based on their immigration status. Additionally, we decry all immigration policies that separate families, undermine due process, detain noncitizens in for-profit detention centers, and diminish protections for asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants. See The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, ¶ 163.G.”
Runa Guzman, Organizer and Founder of 4winds419 and a Participant in the Seneca County Jail Vigil
“We are organizing this vigil because no human being deserves to be locked away in inhumane detention conditions, separated from their loved ones, and treated as disposable by a system built on fear and punishment. ICE detention causes deep harm to immigrants, families, and entire communities. It spreads trauma, instability, and fear while people are denied dignity and basic humanity behind closed doors. We are gathering in Seneca County to stand with the detained, demand transparency and accountability, and call for an end to ICE detention and 287(g) agreements.
“Standing against oppression in all its forms is our God-given right and responsibility. Silence in the face of suffering only protects injustice. People of faith and conscience have always come together to defend the vulnerable, speak out against cruelty, and remind those in power that every human life has value. This vigil is a message to detained immigrants and their families that they are not alone, forgotten, or abandoned. May Allah protect detained immigrants and their families, ease their suffering, grant them strength and safety, and bring freedom and justice to those facing oppression. Ameen.”
MEDIA CONTACTS
For additional details, email hotline@ohioimmigrant.org or any of the regional contacts listed above.
