On April 25, community leaders, advocates, and faith-based organizers gathered at the Spring Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, for a panel discussion titled “Immigration Justice Work of Ohio: Regional Response to Immigration Enforcement.” Organized by Unitarian Universalist Justice Ohio, the session brought together individuals actively engaged in supporting immigrant communities across the state, highlighting both the challenges posed by immigration enforcement and the innovative, community-based responses emerging in Ohio.

The panel featured Lynn Buffington, Demba Ndiath, Jan Phillips, and Samantha Searls —each representing a different but complementary approach to immigration justice.

The Cincinnati Enquirer profiles heroes who are helping their communities stay safe during a time of heightened immigration enforcement in “Beyond the protests, ICE resisters work to protect local immigrants." The Ohio Immigrant Alliance is included.

The Ohio Immigrant Hotline is a public good that serves the entire state. That’s why we are inviting organizations, individuals, and businesses to show their support for the Hotline by sponsoring it today. It costs approximately $6,000 for us to run the Hotline for a month, including incident intake and fulfillment. We have three tiers of sponsorship available.

These are the six core functions of Ohio Immigrant Alliance’s work. This is how we respond to overreaches in federal immigration law enforcement and advocate for a fairer, more dignified immigration system for all.

I wish you could have been with us at the Ohio Immigrant Alliance Family Reunion. It was a chance for us to come together after a difficult year, and there were some true heroes in that room.

• People who fled apartheid in Mauritania and Guatemala, surviving kidnappers, animals, and dangerous terrain to exercise their legal right to request asylum.

• People who exposed abuses from inside immigration jail, despite the risks.

• A father who returned legally to the United States after being deported. A mother whose husband is in immigration jail, today. 

OIA’s presentation for community groups