This article reflects Ohio law and enforcement conditions as of June 2026. Ohio has no statewide sanctuary ban law and no statewide mandatory ICE cooperation mandate as of June 2026. State legislation is pending: House Bill 26 (Protecting Ohio Communities Act) would ban sanctuary policies and require all local law enforcement to honor ICE detainers, with a 10 percent state funding reduction for non-compliant jurisdictions - as of June 2026, HB 26 had not passed into law; verify its current status at the Ohio General Assembly (legislature.ohio.gov) or the Ohio Immigrant Alliance (ohioimmigrant.org). Despite the absence of a statewide law, local enforcement has expanded dramatically: Ohio went from zero 287(g) agreements at the start of 2025 to twenty agreements signed by sixteen local law enforcement agencies by March 27, 2026, according to the ACLU of Ohio. ICE has access to approximately 1,272 jail beds across Ohio. Overall ICE arrests in Ohio nearly quadrupled in 2025, rising from approximately 880 the prior year to more than 1,770. In December 2025, DHS conducted Operation Buckeye, a one-week sweep resulting in more than 280 arrests statewide. In March 2026, the ACLU of Ohio, Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), ABLE-Ohio, and local law firms filed a federal class action lawsuit against ICE, DHS, and CBP alleging systematic warrantless arrests without probable cause across Ohio since April 22, 2025, including the arrest of two U.S. citizens who are Puerto Rico-born. Multiple Ohio cities have enacted protective ordinances: Columbus prohibited local police from entering 287(g) agreements and placed a moratorium on immigration detention facilities; Cincinnati banned city property from being used as ICE staging areas and prohibited sharing surveillance data for immigration enforcement; East Cleveland was the first Ohio municipality to formally restrict ICE on city-owned property. Franklin County Sheriff's cooperation policy of alerting ICE when undocumented immigrants are detained - even if charges are dismissed - was under review as of spring 2026. Verify current 287(g) agency list and enforcement conditions at the ACLU of Ohio (acluohio.org) or the Ohio Immigrant Alliance (ohioimmigrant.org).
Where Ohio Stands
Ohio is one of the most consequential and rapidly changing enforcement states in this series. Unlike North Carolina, Georgia, or Florida - which have enacted mandatory state-level enforcement mandates - Ohio has no statewide sanctuary ban and no mandatory ICE cooperation law as of June 2026. The enforcement surge in Ohio has been driven primarily by federal direct operations and by a county-by-county and city-by-city expansion of local 287(g) agreements, not by state legislation.
The speed of that expansion is the defining feature of Ohio's story in this series. On January 20, 2025 - the day of Trump's second inauguration - Ohio had zero 287(g) agreements. By March 27, 2026, it had twenty, signed by sixteen separate law enforcement agencies. At the same time, Ohio's largest cities - Columbus, Cincinnati, East Cleveland - moved in the opposite direction, enacting local protective ordinances using their Home Rule authority. The state legislature is advancing HB 26 to override those city measures, but it had not passed as of June 2026.
The other defining feature of Ohio's story is the federal enforcement conduct that the ACLU class action has documented: warrantless arrests, arrests of U.S. citizens, masked agents detaining people without showing identification, and documented cases of people arrested with no criminal record and no probable cause assessment. Two Puerto Rico-born United States citizens were arrested at a Columbus hotel when ICE agents, looking for someone else, grabbed three hotel housekeepers as they walked to their cars on a lunch break. The two citizens spent four days in jail before ICE realized its error. A Sandusky man was arrested in a Walmart parking lot with no questions asked and no warrant shown. In Greater Cincinnati, approximately 75 percent of immigration detainees had no pending criminal charges or prior convictions, according to jail data reviewed after federal enforcement operations.
Ohio's immigrant population is large and diverse. The state is home to significant Latino communities in Columbus (the Short North, Franklinton, and southeast Columbus), Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Canton; large Somali communities in Columbus; refugee communities from multiple countries; and agricultural workers in the northwestern and central Ohio farm belt. The state's manufacturing, food processing, construction, and healthcare sectors all employ significant immigrant workforces.
Part 1: What Federal Immigration Law Actually Says
Immigration enforcement is exclusively a federal function under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The federal government controls who may enter, remain in, and be removed from the United States. State and local governments cannot create their own immigration enforcement systems that conflict with the INA.
The Tenth Amendment anti-commandeering doctrine, established in Printz v. United States (1997), means the federal government cannot compel state and local agencies to enforce federal immigration law. Ohio's cities that have enacted protective ordinances are exercising this constitutional right. Columbus prohibiting its police from entering 287(g) agreements and Cincinnati prohibiting city property from serving as ICE staging areas are legitimate exercises of municipal authority within the Home Rule framework. Whether Ohio can override those city measures through state law - as HB 26 would attempt - is the contested question if HB 26 passes and is challenged.
ICE detainers, Form I-247, are administrative requests, not court orders. No Ohio state law mandates detainer compliance as of June 2026. Individual county jails that have 287(g) agreements or informal cooperation policies may honor detainers as a matter of policy, but those without such agreements retain discretion. The Franklin County Sheriff's longstanding practice of alerting ICE when undocumented immigrants are detained - even after charges are dismissed or bond is posted - represents an informal cooperation policy that does not require a 287(g) agreement.
Federal law requires that before making a warrantless arrest for immigration violations, an agent must have reason to believe both that the individual is in the United States in violation of immigration law and that the individual is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. The ACLU class action, filed March 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, alleges that ICE has systematically violated this standard across Ohio since April 22, 2025 - arresting people without warrants and without assessing flight risk. The litigation was pending as of June 2026.
Arizona v. United States (2012) is the controlling preemption precedent. Ohio's major cities' use of Home Rule authority to limit ICE cooperation is consistent with that framework - cities are not interfering with federal enforcement, they are declining to participate.
Part 2: Ohio State Law and Local Ordinances
No Statewide Sanctuary Ban - As of June 2026
Ohio has no enacted statewide sanctuary ban as of June 2026. This distinguishes it from neighboring states and from the direction of the Republican-controlled state legislature. The absence of a statewide mandate means that Ohio cities retain the legal space to enact their own protective ordinances - a space that Columbus, Cincinnati, and East Cleveland have used - and county sheriffs retain discretion on whether to enter 287(g) agreements without being compelled by state law.
House Bill 26 - Protecting Ohio Communities Act (PENDING, NOT YET LAW as of June 2026)
House Bill 26, the Protecting Ohio Communities Act, was introduced in the Ohio House and was before the House Public Safety Committee as of early 2026. If enacted, HB 26 would ban sanctuary policies statewide, require every local law enforcement officer to be able to inquire about citizenship status during investigations, require immediate reporting to federal authorities when officers have reasonable cause to believe someone is in the country illegally, require verification of immigration status for public benefit recipients, and impose a 10 percent reduction in local government funding for jurisdictions that do not comply. Cities would also be ineligible for any DHS grants.
HB 26 has not passed as of June 2026. The ACLU of Ohio has called it extreme and unconstitutional. Columbus and Cincinnati enacted their protective ordinances partly in anticipation of HB 26 and partly in direct response to the federal enforcement surge. The bill's sponsor framed the funding penalty as an incentive rather than a mandate, stating that cities can choose not to comply but will need to explain to local taxpayers why they lost 10 percent of their funding. Verify HB 26's current legislative status at legislature.ohio.gov before relying on this article.
287(g) Agreements in Ohio - Rapid Expansion
Ohio went from zero 287(g) agreements on January 20, 2025, to twenty agreements signed by sixteen local law enforcement agencies by March 27, 2026, according to the ACLU of Ohio's March 2026 'ICE in Ohio' report. This represents one of the fastest expansions of 287(g) participation in any state in this series. Prior to 2025, Geauga County and Seneca County jails operated as ICE detention sites under a separate bed-space contract arrangement - not 287(g) agreements - making them pre-existing federal detention partners though not formally 287(g)-credentialed.
Butler County has been Ohio's primary hub for jail-to-ICE transfers, consistently maintaining one of the highest volumes of federal immigration detainees in the state. Clermont County signed a 287(g) agreement in late 2025. The ACLU had to sue Geauga and Seneca Counties to obtain public records about their agreements. A financial incentive drives participation: millions in federal dollars flow to counties that house ICE detainees and participate in 287(g) programs. ICE has access to approximately 1,272 jail beds across Ohio; if every bed was full every day, the annual federal cost would exceed $54 million.
As of April 2026, Gratis Police Department announced it would end its 287(g) program participation - the first Ohio agency to exit after joining. This reflects the reality that the 287(g) count in Ohio is not only growing but also fluctuating. Verify the current list of Ohio 287(g) agencies at the ACLU of Ohio (acluohio.org) or the Ohio Immigrant Alliance (ohioimmigrant.org) before relying on any specific county count.
Franklin County Sheriff's Informal Cooperation Policy
Franklin County (Columbus) does not have a 287(g) agreement, but the Franklin County Sheriff's Office has maintained a longstanding practice of alerting ICE when undocumented immigrants are detained at the county jail - even if criminal charges are dismissed or if the person posts bond and would otherwise be released. This informal cooperation policy operates without a formal 287(g) agreement and creates an ICE notification pathway for anyone booked into the Franklin County jail regardless of the outcome of any state criminal matter. Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said he was reviewing this policy as of spring 2026. Verify the current status of this policy with the ACLU of Ohio.
Columbus City Protective Ordinances
Columbus, the state capital and Ohio's largest city, enacted protective measures using its Home Rule authority in response to the federal enforcement surge. Columbus city measures prohibit the Columbus Division of Police from entering into 287(g) cooperation agreements with ICE. Columbus also enacted a moratorium on new immigration detention facilities within city limits, and created a digital repository to document alleged civil rights violations by federal agents. A provision prohibits city employees from holding second jobs with ICE or CBP. These measures were advanced following packed public hearings on February 17 and 20, 2026.
Cincinnati City Protective Measures
Cincinnati enacted protective ordinances prohibiting city property - including recreation centers, parking lots, and garages - from being used as staging areas for ICE enforcement operations unless agents present a judicial warrant signed by a judge. Cincinnati also banned the city from sharing surveillance data for the purpose of immigration enforcement. New misdemeanor penalties were created for individuals who harass or intimidate people near sensitive locations like schools and daycares.
East Cleveland and Other Municipal Actions
East Cleveland was the first Ohio municipality to pass an emergency ordinance formally restricting ICE operations on city property, prohibiting use of city-owned spaces for enforcement absent a judicial warrant. Toledo passed a non-binding resolution encouraging federal agents not to wear masks and to carry identification. Springfield passed a similar resolution. These municipal measures vary in legal force and enforceability against federal agents but signal local government posture and can affect informal cooperation.
Part 3: The ACLU Class Action - Warrantless Arrests in Ohio
The ACLU of Ohio, Community Refugee and Immigration Services, ABLE-Ohio, and local law firms filed a federal class action lawsuit on March 18, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (Columbus division). The suit is brought on behalf of all persons who, since April 22, 2025, have been or will be arrested in Ohio for alleged immigration violations without a warrant and without an individualized assessment that the person poses a likelihood of escaping before a warrant can be obtained.
The lawsuit details specific documented cases of alleged misconduct: Three hotel housekeepers at a Columbus hotel were grabbed by agents on December 17, 2025 as they walked to their cars on a lunch break. No questions were asked before the agents detained them. Two were Puerto Rico-born United States citizens; both were held for four days in jail before ICE realized its error and released them. A man with an active asylum case was arrested on December 18, 2025, as he exited a Columbus Home Depot by four masked men in civilian clothes who told him his asylum case was not valid. He was transported with ten other Latinos to Detroit, then to a jail in Michigan, where he was held for 27 days before a judge ordered his release. A Sandusky man was arrested on April 22, 2025 as he exited his car in a Walmart parking lot; no questions were asked, no warrant was shown, and no assessment was made of whether he posed a flight risk.
The lawsuit alleges agents were paid bonuses for locking people up regardless of whether the arrests were legally proper. It cites Cato Institute data showing that as of November 2025, only 5 percent of those detained in the Ohio enforcement surge had been convicted of violent crimes, while 73 percent had no convictions at all. The ACLU asks the court to order agents to stop making warrantless arrests without determining escape risks. The litigation was pending as of June 2026.
Part 4: How State and Federal Law Interact in Ohio
Ohio's legal landscape is defined by the absence of a statewide enforcement mandate, the rapid expansion of local 287(g) agreements, city-level protective ordinances, and an active federal class action challenging the legality of the federal enforcement campaign itself. This produces a patchwork: in Columbus, police will not enter 287(g) agreements, but the county jail may still inform ICE through informal cooperation. In Butler County, ICE has deep jail access. In Cincinnati, city property cannot be used for staging, but the Hamilton County jail may have its own posture.
The Tenth Amendment framework applies clearly: Ohio cities enacting protective ordinances are exercising their right to decline participation in federal enforcement. The federal government cannot compel the Columbus Division of Police to participate in immigration enforcement. Whether HB 26, if enacted, can override city Home Rule protections is the pending state constitutional question.
Federal enforcement in Ohio operates extensively regardless of local policy. Operation Buckeye (December 2025) produced 280+ arrests in one week. Street arrests - at homes, workplaces, and public spaces - increased eleven-fold in 2025 compared to the prior year. Federal agents are not limited to 287(g) counties; they operate statewide through the Cleveland Field Office of ICE.
Part 5: What This Means for Families on the Ground
For immigrant families in Ohio, the risk profile is unusually complex because it varies dramatically by county. In Butler County, Clermont County, and other 287(g) jurisdictions, any arrest creates direct ICE contact through trained local officers. In Columbus (Franklin County), the city police will not enter 287(g), but the county sheriff's informal cooperation policy creates an ICE notification pathway for jail bookings. In Cincinnati, city property protections exist but Hamilton County's posture is separate. Outside major cities, county-level variation determines enforcement risk at the jail.
Federal direct enforcement - street arrests, home raids, workplace operations - is the most unpredictable risk across the entire state. The ACLU class action documents that these arrests have occurred without warrants, without probable cause assessments, and have ensnared U.S. citizens. This is not a risk limited to undocumented individuals: people with pending asylum cases, valid work permits, and even U.S. citizenship have been swept up.
Ohio's food processing, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors have been targets nationally. Springfield's Haitian community has been particularly visible in national immigration discourse since 2024. Construction, landscaping, and domestic service workers across the state face elevated enforcement risk in the current climate.
HB 26's pending status creates uncertainty. If enacted, it would override Columbus and Cincinnati's protective ordinances and create mandatory cooperation requirements statewide. Families should monitor HB 26's status through the Ohio Immigrant Alliance or ACLU of Ohio.
Part 6: What You Can Actually Do
If ICE Comes to Your Home
Do not open the door. ICE cannot legally enter a home without a judicial warrant signed by a judge. An administrative warrant, Form I-200 or I-205, is signed by an immigration officer, not a judge, and does not authorize home entry. Ask through the closed door: 'Is this warrant signed by a judge?' If not, say clearly that you do not consent to entry.
You have the right to remain silent. You are not required to answer questions about your birthplace, how you entered the country, or your immigration status. Say: 'I am exercising my right to remain silent. I want to speak with a lawyer.' This applies regardless of immigration status - and regardless of whether agents are masked or in plainclothes.
Do not sign anything without speaking with an immigration attorney. Signing voluntary departure forms can permanently waive important legal rights.
You have the right to film law enforcement from a safe distance in a public space. The ACLU class action notes that documentation of encounters has been critical to identifying federal misconduct in Ohio.
If Approached in Public or at Work
Federal law requires agents making a warrantless immigration arrest to have reason to believe you are in the country in violation of immigration law and that you are likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. You may calmly state: 'I do not consent to this stop. Am I free to go?' If agents proceed, do not physically resist. Exercise the right to remain silent.
The ACLU class action documents that agents have arrested people based solely on their appearance or language without any individualized assessment. If you are a U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident, or have valid immigration status, clearly and calmly identify yourself and your status without carrying original documents - carry copies only if necessary.
If a Family Member Is Detained
Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov immediately. People detained in Ohio may be transferred to jails in Michigan, Indiana, or other states. Act quickly - transfers can occur within hours or days.
Call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line: 1-888-351-4024.
Call the EOIR Immigration Court Information Line: 1-800-898-7180.
Contact the ACLU of Ohio: acluohio.org. The ACLU-OH is actively litigating the class action against ICE and provides Know Your Rights resources specific to Ohio.
Contact Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS): crisohio.org. CRIS is a co-plaintiff in the ACLU class action and a direct service provider for immigrant communities in Columbus.
Contact the Ohio Immigrant Alliance: ohioimmigrant.org. The OIA tracks 287(g) agreements, enforcement conditions, and provides community resources statewide.
Contact the Ohio Legal Help Foundation or your local legal aid: ohiolegalhelp.org.
Know the Risk Points in Ohio
Butler County and Clermont County in the Cincinnati metro area have been Ohio's most active ICE cooperation zones. Any jail booking in those counties creates strong ICE contact risk.
Franklin County (Columbus) has no 287(g) agreement for city police, but the county sheriff's informal cooperation policy alerts ICE to jail bookings even after charges are dismissed. Verify this policy's current status.
Street arrests and home raids have increased eleven-fold in 2025. Federal enforcement operates statewide regardless of any local protective ordinance. No city ordinance prevents ICE from making arrests in public spaces.
U.S. citizens have been arrested in Ohio enforcement operations. Document your status and carry copies of relevant documents. The risk is real for people with any ambiguity about their status or who match broad racial or ethnic profiles.
HB 26 is pending in the Ohio legislature. If enacted, it overrides city protective ordinances and creates statewide mandatory cooperation requirements. Monitor at legislature.ohio.gov.
Part 7: Legal Resources in Ohio
ACLU of Ohio: acluohio.org. Lead plaintiff in the federal class action against ICE warrantless arrests. Primary monitoring resource for Ohio enforcement.
Ohio Immigrant Alliance: ohioimmigrant.org. Tracks 287(g) agreements, publishes the ACLU's 'ICE in Ohio' report data, and coordinates statewide immigrant advocacy.
Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS): crisohio.org. Direct legal and resettlement services in Columbus; co-plaintiff in the ACLU class action.
ABLE-Ohio (formerly CAIR Ohio): able-ohio.org. Co-plaintiff in the ACLU class action; serves Muslim immigrant communities in Ohio.
Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE): ablelaw.org. Free civil legal services for low-income Ohioans in northwest Ohio.
Legal Aid Society of Columbus: columbuslegalaid.org.
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland: lasclev.org.
Ohio Legal Help: ohiolegalhelp.org. Directory of legal services statewide.
EOIR Immigration Court Information Line: 1-800-898-7180.
ICE Detainee Locator: locator.ice.gov.
ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line: 1-888-351-4024.
Summary
Ohio has no statewide sanctuary ban or mandatory ICE cooperation law as of June 2026 - but the absence of a state mandate has not slowed enforcement. Ohio went from zero 287(g) agreements in January 2025 to twenty by March 2026. ICE arrests nearly quadrupled in 2025. Operation Buckeye produced over 280 arrests in December 2025. Street arrests increased eleven-fold. The ACLU class action filed in March 2026 alleges systematic warrantless arrests across the state since April 2025, including the arrest of two Puerto Rican U.S. citizens. House Bill 26, which would ban sanctuary policies statewide and require all local law enforcement to honor ICE detainers with 10 percent funding penalties for non-compliance, was pending but not enacted as of June 2026.
Major Ohio cities have pushed back through Home Rule ordinances: Columbus prohibits city police from 287(g) agreements; Cincinnati bans city property as ICE staging areas; East Cleveland restricts ICE on city property without judicial warrants. But those city measures do not stop federal direct enforcement. For families in Ohio, the risk varies sharply by county and city. Butler County and Clermont County in the Cincinnati area carry the highest formal 287(g) risk. Franklin County jail has an informal ICE notification policy. Federal direct enforcement is active statewide. Know your rights at the door and in public, use the ICE Detainee Locator immediately if a family member is detained, and contact the ACLU of Ohio or the Ohio Immigrant Alliance for current enforcement conditions.
Sources and verification: Ohio Immigrant Alliance, 'ACLU of Ohio's Report on 287(g) Agreements,' March 30, 2026 (ohioimmigrant.org; zero to 20 agreements by March 27, 2026; 1,272 ICE jail beds; $54M annual cost); ACLU of Ohio, 'ICE in Ohio' report, March 30, 2026 (acluohio.org; as of April 2026, Gratis PD ended participation); Ohio Capital Journal, 'ACLU Decries Expanding ICE Partnerships with Ohio Law Enforcement,' April 1, 2026 (12 agreements by end of 2025; 850+ in Ohio jails on immigration detainers; Franklin County informal cooperation policy under review); Ohio Capital Journal/Cleveland Scene, 'Lawsuit Against ICE from ACLU of Ohio Alleges Warrantless Arrests, Arrests of Citizens,' March 26, 2026 (class action details; Home Depot arrest; Columbus hotel Puerto Rican citizens; Walmart parking lot arrest; Cato Institute 5%/73% data; bonus allegations); WOSU Public Media, 'ACLU, Others, File Suit Against ICE' March 19, 2026 and 'ACLU of Ohio Finds More Police Departments Signing Agreements with ICE,' March 30, 2026; Marion Watch Investigates, 'Immigration and ICE Enforcement: Ohio 2026 Overview,' February 23, 2026 (Operation Buckeye December 2025, 280+ arrests; ICE arrests quadrupled 2025, 880 to 1,770; street arrests 11x increase; 75% of Cincinnati-area detainees no criminal record; Columbus city hearings February 2026; East Cleveland emergency ordinance); Ohio Statehouse News Bureau, 'Amid Enforcement Surge, Ohio Cities Are Rethinking Cooperation with ICE,' March 23-24, 2026 (Cincinnati ordinances; Columbus 287(g) ban; Toledo resolution; Springfield resolution; HB 26 10% funding penalty); WTRF/WJW, 'Ohio Bill Would Defund Sanctuary Cities,' February 6, 2025 (HB 26 details); Arizona v. United States, 567 U.S. 387 (2012); Printz v. United States, 521 U.S. 898 (1997). Volatile items requiring verification: HB 26 legislative status (pending as of June 2026; verify at legislature.ohio.gov); current Ohio 287(g) agency list (20 as of March 27, 2026; changing; verify at acluohio.org or ohioimmigrant.org); ACLU class action litigation status (filed March 2026, Southern District of Ohio, pending); Franklin County Sheriff informal cooperation policy current status. Last verified: June 2026.