A new report from the ACLU of Ohio is shedding light on a significant increase in partnerships between local law enforcement and federal immigration agencies over the past year.
The report, ICE in Ohio, found that in 2025 alone, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (commonly known as ICE) expanded its presence across the state through a mix of agreements involving jail space, transportation, and enforcement authority.
At the start of 2025, Ohio had no 287(g) agreements, those are partnerships that allow local officers to carry out certain federal immigration enforcement duties. By the end of the year, that number had grown to 12 agreements across 11 counties.
Overall, the ACLU found that 14 counties (or municipalities within them) now have some form of agreement with ICE or the U.S. Marshals Service, along with the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio, which serves multiple counties.
Those counties include: Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Delaware, Fayette, Geauga, Lake, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Preble, Seneca, and Warren counties, plus the regional Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio, which covers Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, and Williams counties.
The report also highlights the scale of the system, finding ICE has access to more than 1,200 jail beds across Ohio on any given day. If those beds were filled year-round, the cost could exceed $54 million annually.
According to the report, about 1.6 million Ohioans, or roughly 14% of the population, now live in areas where local law enforcement is involved in these agreements.
The ACLU says the findings raise concerns about transparency, costs, and the role of local agencies in federal immigration enforcement, while urging communities to take a closer look at how these partnerships are used.
You can read the full report HERE
