A Cleveland detective, Donald Kopchak, was just found guilty on two counts of felony abduction, one count of ethnic intimidation, and one misdemeanor assault charge for the 2023 Hinckley hate crime he instigated. He will be sentenced in June.

His co-conspirator, Daniel Lajack, pled guilty and will be sentenced this week. Neither should be working for law enforcement.

Anticipating major changes in immigration policy during the second Trump administration, Ohio Immigrant Alliance started the Ohio Immigrant Hotline in January 2025. We knew this resource was needed due to our experiences during the first Trump presidency, when helping each other deal with stressful immigration situations was vital. The Hotline is part of our “Build The Nest” strategy and the OhioIsHome.org resource website. 

On March 25, OIA released a report about the Hotline’s first year of existence, using Hotline operations data, called “Connecting Ohio: The Ohio Immigrant Hotline’s First Year in Action.”

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?

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.

In a statement, OIA ED Lynn Tramonte says “the allegations of sexual abuse carried out by Cesar Chavez are horrific. Farm workers and their families have always been treated with indignity in this country, despite the fact that they literally keep us alive, and businesses in operation. Hearing of abuses committed by one of the movement’s leaders is confusing and devastating.

“But the people who matter here are the survivors, and the fact that they are talking about what happened.”

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance is launching the Brave Of Us Tattoo Design Contest, calling on all tattoo artists and apprentices to express what it looks like to be in solidarity with immigrants at this moment in history. The contest’s themes include Family & Love; Freedom & Safety; Bravery & Strength; Unity Across Differences; and Reclaiming Identity & Culture.

The first organization to join our new sponsorship program at the Ohio Immigrant Hotline is Vibrant Ohio. For the entire month of March, VO is supporting our work to respond to the calls, texts, and emails coming into the Hotline from across Ohio. We are grateful for community partners who recognize that systems like these help keep us safe and protect all of our rights.  

Vibrant Ohio is a statewide organization that enhances local immigrant and refugee integration efforts to build a more inclusive, equitable and prosperous Ohio economy. They believe that immigrants, refugees, and the broader international community all make Ohio a more vibrant place to call home. Vibrant Ohio serves as a trusted connector to Ohio immigrants and refugees, including those in our major cities and a growing number of smaller communities.

Updates from Ohio’s Creative Community; the Hotline; True Public Safety, OIA in the Wild, and More!

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.

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.

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.

In an new video, Lynn Tramonte of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance explains how ICE’s tactics for making arrests mimic the behavior of criminals, and the agency has a history of employing violent sexual criminals. The two facts are intrinsically linked.

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.” 

“This is the very definition of stacking the deck against your opponent, and this is why the U.S. immigration courts must be removed from the Executive Branch,” said Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. “Stephen Miller cannot completely eliminate the Board of Immigration Appeals without action by Congress. Instead, his plan is to keep the Board in place to rule against immigrants who win in the lower courts, while denying people who lose their cases the opportunity for a second look. Courts should be independent from political direction. Our immigration courts need to be completely separated from the Executive Branch. That’s fundamental to fairness and due process. Finally making the immigration courts into an independent judiciary is long overdue. Congress must act, today. Anyone who argues against that simply wants to keep an unfair system in place.”

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.

Following is a quote from Ohio Immigrant Alliance's Executive Director, Lynn Tramonte, about today's ruling on Haitian TPS. 

"This 11th hour reprieve is, of course, welcome. But people can't live their lives like this, pegging their families' futures to a court case. Haitian-Ohioans have literally saved their own lives and their kids' lives, multiple times. They did the hard part. The least this country can do is honor their strength and contributions by giving them a permanent home. That is what many in Ohio are advocating for, as was made clear in Springfield today."

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.