Unless something changes, the civil immigration jail system is “on track to rival the entire federal criminal prison system by the end of President Trump’s second term in office,” according to a new American Immigration Council report. 

Said Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, “Instead of allowing this system to grow and kill more people, Congress should cut the ICE budget to force the Trump administration to focus its work. And state and local police should stop participating in the destruction of our families and communities. End these county-ICE jail contracts. We don’t need to participate in a system that harms people. Instead, we need Congress to update the immigration laws and make them work for today’s realities.”  

2025 was a long year. At the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, we’re really proud of the work we did. From launching the OhioIsHome.org resource website and Ohio Immigrant Hotline, to working with local leaders who are pushing back on immigration detention contracts; from organizing volunteers to keeping the public informed about what is happening in our communities, our work is energetic, committed, strategic, and effective.

We want to thank the many volunteers and activists who are showing up in support of Ohio immigrants in a million ways. You know that Ohio is home for those who choose to make it so, and you are making it a safer, more welcoming place.

The federal government claims 280 people were arrested, and cites a laundry list of criminal offenses to justify their capture. The Ohio Immigrant Alliance identified at least 214 people — likely more — who had been arrested during the Operation, through a variety of sources. Our analysis also documented the fact that the public cannot trust the government’s claims about immigrants’ criminal history. As we wrote in our analysis, “the administration has a documented record of lying about immigrants’ criminal histories and gang affiliations. It also refuses to answer questions from the media or provide transparent evidence of its claims.” ABC 6 also found major disparities in their accusations. 

Renee Good, a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, was murdered in cold blood by a federal agent today. It’s unclear whether her family had even been notified before DHS Secretary Kristi Noem attacked her in a press conference. Video from every angle shows Good was attempting to leave a chaotic and dangerous scene. She did not drive her car toward anyone. Ohio native Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, claimed the ICE agent who murdered Good fired “defensive shots.”  

From December 13 to 14, Yeumbeul Nord — one of Senegal’s most vibrant yet underserved suburbs — became the epicenter of the largest technology gathering ever organized in the country’s banlieue (suburbs). Banlieue Smart Days, an initiative born from lived experience and a deep commitment to youth empowerment, brought together more than 1,000 participants over two days of learning, innovation, and inspiration.

Today, OIA is releasing an analysis of ICE detention during the Columbus raids so far. The analysis, conducted by researcher John Drury, is based on publicly-available information. And, it is likely an undercount of the arrests and detentions under the so-called “Operation Buckeye,” given data limitations explained in the report’s methodology section. Only the government, possibly, knows the full extent of this campaign. Given how chaotically it has been carried out, even that may not be true. 

Ohio Immigrant Alliance believes at least 214 people were arrested as part of this ICE operation and remain in detention — likely many more. Eighty percent appear to be Latino, plus three people who are Indigenous from Guatemala. The next largest group — Africans — comprises less than 10%. Fully 93% of those arrested are men. 

In Central Ohio, the federal government has unleashed untrained individuals from outside the community, who think they are unaccountable. But greater Columbus has responded in one voice. From the grassroots, which quickly organized itself in sophisticated ways, to civic leaders and faith-based institutions, Columbus is sending a unified message: Immigrants are welcome, ICE is not. Read on for quotes from leaders; more examples of ICE brutality; and resources keeping the community safe.

ICE is not welcome in Columbus; immigrants are. That is the message Columbus residents have been sending since a couple hundred ICE agents descended on the city and began to hunt people on the streets. Residents immediately began mobilizing neighborhood watches and alert systems, keeping agents awake all night at their hotels, and setting up food delivery chains.

ICE is not welcome in Columbus; immigrants are. That is the message Columbus residents have been sending since a couple hundred ICE agents descended on the city and began to hunt people on the streets. Residents immediately began mobilizing neighborhood watches and alert systems, keeping agents awake all night at their hotels, and setting up food delivery chains.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents terrorized Columbus today, trolling parking lots and arresting people in various parts of the city. Officials with the City of Columbus, including the Mayor, City Attorney, Police Chief, City Council President Shannon G. Hardin, and Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla held a press conference to reiterate their support for immigrants who have chosen to make Columbus their home.  

On December 13, OIA hosted our first holiday pop-up shop with Bomani Beauty MD — a local Afro Caribbean, veteran, and family-owned vegan skincare and cosmetics company — at Hexagon Books in Cleveland Heights. Shoppers loved Bomani Beauty's all-natural skin, hair, and bodycare line. The passionfruit oil glosses and cupuaçu butter products were instant hits. Nounou chose the clear gloss and Lynn picked up a big jar of the Lemongrass Lavender Tropical Ting. Ibrahima ordered three jars, one for him and each of his brothers.

Get to know five men who are part of the Mauritanian widows and orphans movement. A day before International Human Rights Day these brave young men — who sought asylum in the US — joined with other leaders to talk about Black civil rights in Mauritania today, and why they continue to demand justice and equality, and seek safety in the United States.

This is an agency that demonizes immigrants who have committed no crimes, yet it fails to police its own ranks. The hypocrisy is breathtaking, and the threat to public safety is clear. We want answers from the Detroit ICE Field Office and Cincinnati Local Office. Do ICE agents have to inform their employer when they come under scrutiny by other law enforcement agencies? Did Saxon inform ICE that he had come under police scrutiny 22 times? If yes, why did they continue to employ him? After allowing a serial sexual predator, Andrew Golobic, to abuse women for years, ICE should have implemented tighter controls. Instead, they are showing that they really do not care about predators. Our community is tired of hearing this agency spread lies about immigrants, and failing to hold its own officers accountable. We demand true public safety, and that includes safety from violent ICE officers like Samuel Saxon.

Ahead of International Human Rights Day on December 10, human rights defenders with the Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in US, Progressive Forces of Change (Columbus Chapter), and Mauritanian Orphans’ Alliance documented the Mauritanian government’s ongoing persecution of Black Mauritanians in a webinar for members of the media and lawyers.

A statement from Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, about the President’s attack on Somali-Americans.

Black Mauritanians have been arrested, tortured, and even killed for demanding full and equal treatment on land their families have called home for centuries. On December 9, at 1pm ET, ahead of International Human Rights Day, civil rights leaders and genocide survivors will provide an update on the state of Black Mauritanians’ civil rights. The briefing will be useful for members of the media, and lawyers working on asylum cases.   

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. 

The Butler County Commissioners’ meeting on November 18 was packed with residents opposed to the “dirty money contract” Sheriff Jones has with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). So many people attended, some had to sit on the floor. Over a dozen people spoke against the concept of detaining immigrants for civil immigration purposes, saying things like: “Your ICE facility has created a disgusting stench in our town, and we want it gone,“ and “You are empowering a bounty hunter.” 

Another resident said, “When the sheriff is focused on immigrant capture, his attention is away from other crimes.” That’s true. But also, the ICE contract is a way for Sheriff Jones and his deputies to commit their own crimes against a captive audience of people, who simply want to work and take care of their families. 

On November 15, people across the state streamed into Chez Rama the Ohio Immigrant Alliance’s first-ever Family Reunion. It was a chance to be together in person, at the end of a difficult year.

Video highlights will be posted soon. For now, check out a photo recap.

This annotated version of Souleye Ball’s poem provides cultural references and context for people who aren’t familiar with Mauritanian history, culture, geography, and U.S. immigration policy. It offers a deeper level of understanding of the poem, and we invite you to listen to his delivery as well.