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.

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.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will being assisting Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents with “managing passenger lines, monitoring exits and checking identification,” according to the federal government, as reported by the Akron Beacon Journal (behind paywall).

Yet Cleveland Hopkins communications manager Michele Dynia said: “These personnel are supporting TSA operations in a non-screening role, including assisting with passenger flow and divesting. They are not conducting identification checks or screening passengers.”

Which is it?

The Columbus Dispatch exposed the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s booking policy and how jail officials work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Despite the City of Columbus declaring itself welcoming to immigrants, the County Sheriff is going above and beyond what is required in federal law, and feeding people to ICE who may be U.S. citizens or otherwise not deportable.

With the immigration courts not functioning fairly or well, immigrants and lawyers are taking cases to federal court and the circuit courts of appeals in hopes of finally obtaining justice. Here's what you need to know about the latest court challenges and policy shifts affecting immigrants across the state.

Between 2017 and 2022, immigrants detained by ICE in Ohio jails bravely spoke out about inhumane and abusive treatment, using the Ohio Immigrant Alliance (OIA) and other groups as their conduits. Through this effort, ICE jail capacity in Ohio fell 90% — from a high of 596 “beds” per day at five jails, to a low of 59 “beds” at two facilities. Deportations across the entire Detroit Field Office area of responsibility fell by 58% — saving thousands of people from deportation.

This case study shows how immigrants and allies ended ICE contracts with the Morrow and Butler County Jails in Ohio during the first Trump administration.

The Cincinnati Enquirer published an important story about an Ohio man at risk of detention and deportation (read behind paywall). Nadhirou Tambadou is a hero and leader of a movement to demand human rights for Black Mauritanians, who was finally forced to seek safety in the United States after years of persecution by the Mauritanian government.

The Guardian is reporting that at least six Customs and Border Patrol officers had personal relationships with Jeffrey Epstein, and were involved in facilitating group travel to and from his private island.

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance has been tracking the number of ICE and Border Patrol agents committing sexual and/or violent crimes against women and children. Since we first published the list we have had to update it several times, as more criminal agents continue to get arrested. The total as of February 26, 2026 is 37, with two-thirds of the agents committing sexual offenses against children. This list does not even include the six agents who helped facilitate travel to Epstein’s island, as they have not yet been charged with crimes.

When things feel heavy, Ohio’s creative community shows up.

Over the past few weeks, we at the Ohio Immigrant Alliance (OIA) have been moved by the ways people across the state are stepping up to support immigrants and speak out against ICE. Artists of all kinds are using their crafts to raise money to support our mission. Restaurants are putting their menus to work. And more is on the way. Ohioans are being both creative and brave, using their talents to fund immigrant protection and show support for a fair and humane immigration policy.

Said Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, “Art gives us access to worlds we’ve never seen, and helps us see our world in new ways. Food is another thing we have in common across backgrounds, and a way for people to come together. We are so grateful to the artists, makers, activators, and good people throughout Ohio who are working to make this a better state and donating to our cause. We have no room at our tables for ICE. We only have room for each other.” 

Here's what's happening right now, from DJs, tattoo and textile artists, restaurants, authors, pop-up markets, and more. There’s still time to support their work and make a donation to OIA. If you want to start your own fundraiser, contact us at hotline@ohioimmigrant.org for support.

OIA’s Executive Director, Lynn Tramonte, testified at a hearing on Federal Civil Immigration Enforcement Proposed Code Changes before the Columbus City Council Rules & Policy Committee today.

Many people around the world are, rightfully, concerned about Haitian-Americans and Springfield. This post from the Ohio Immigrant Alliance addresses unfounded rumors and shares information on how you can get involved in your local community.

Said Sophia Pierrelus, founder of the New American Cultural Center (NACC) and a Columbus-based leader, “Framing the termination of Haiti’s TPS as a matter of ‘national interest’ ignores the real consequences on families, workers, and communities who have contributed to this country for years. Policy decisions must be grounded not only in authority, but in reality. Ending Haiti’s TPS designation disregards the ongoing humanitarian crisis and places thousands of law-abiding families in immediate uncertainty. It is in our national interest to protect Haitian people who have made Ohio their home.” 

OIA’s Executive Director, Lynn Tramonte, spoke at the Cleveland City Club’s “Happy Dog Takes on ICE” forum, held at this beloved Cleveland hot dog restaurant and bar on February 4. The crowd was standing-room only. She was joined by immigration lawyer Pat Espinosa and Chris Schmitt, Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, who moderated the discussion.

As Ohio communities face the uncertainty of the future of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, and the threat of an immigration abduction operation, members of the Children Thrive Action Network (CTAN) stand in solidarity with Haitian families who call Ohio home, and demand federal immigration agents get out of their communities. 

Ohio House Members are introducing a package of bills to ensure accountability of law enforcement, ICE, and Border Patrol in Ohio.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Groner

Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, said: “Unmask ICE and the Border Patrol. It is unacceptable to have masked ‘law enforcement’ officers roaming our streets, carrying guns, to enforce civil immigration laws. They have brought chaos and death to local communities. Body cameras are a small concession, but this doesn’t mean a thing unless the government agrees to quickly release unedited footage. Given this administration’s track record on transparency, we don’t have any reason to believe they will. They also need to remove the masks, and require agents to wear standard uniforms and show ID. Professionalism and integrity in law enforcement requires this. Right now, ICE and the Border Patrol are using criminal tactics to harass and arrest our community members. They are also emboldening and empowering criminals, who are copying their actions to harm people.”

As ICE and the Border Patrol threaten to surge in Ohio, people around the state and country are wondering what they can do.

• Here is a list of the key organizations working on the ground in Springfield and Lima, another area of Ohio that welcomed Haitians, and is now worried about their ability to remain in their new home.

• Sign this petition calling for an extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti, started by a Springfield couple.

• Register to attend the Emergency Meeting: Unite for Springfield - ICE Out of Our Communities (online) on Tuesday, February 3, at 8:30pm ET. Ohio Immigrant Alliance is one the speakers.

• Program the Ohio Immigrant Hotline (email and phone) into your phone, and share it with your friends and community. Reach out if you have a question, need a speaker, want to report abuses, need support for a loved one in detention, and more.

• Order your “Ohio Is Home” and “Migration Is Human” merch from our online store. Designs by Shema Asifiwe, a high school student in Cincinnati.

• Join the Ohio Immigrant Alliance e-mail list for updates and action alerts and donate to OIA. Help keep our hotline, commissary support, jail abuse monitoring/advocacy, and immigrant accompaniment programs going.

On January 29, OIA’s Demba Ndiath spoke at a press conference at the Columbus Liberation Center about our endorsement of the January 30 National Shutdown. Here are his prepared remarks.

An updated list of 30 current and former ICE and Border Patrol agents who have been charged with and/or convicted of crimes shows that Palacio’s behavior is part of the organizational culture there. The men included on this list — and they are all men — have been charged with offenses like gunpoint sexual assault; child sex trafficking; aggravated assault; robbery; rape; torture; kidnapping; sexual abuse of a minor; and possession and production of child sexual abuse materials.

A new list of criminal agents at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol shows that their violence, in public, is part of an organizational culture that rewards misogyny. From Cincinnati’s Samuel Saxon and Andrew Golobic, to Arizona’s John Daly III (the East Valley Serial Rapist), the men on this list of 29 criminal agents preyed on women and children over years — and even decades — of employment at federal agencies.

Additional updates from OIA are included.

Under the Trump administration, the Department of Homeland Security likes to claim that every immigrant is a criminal. But a new list shows the real criminals work for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol. As the government pushes to hire new agents rapidly, background checks and vetting processes are being tossed aside. How many more predators are in the process of joining these federal agencies? No one knows.