“We affirm that migration is a basic act of being human.” So begins a letter to state and local officials, signed by 80 institutions and 2,500 Ohioans from 69 counties. “Our state is made better, stronger and more vibrant by the countless contributions of immigrants and refugees.” List of counties is at the end of this press release.

The federal government has unleashed an assault on people who came to Ohio to contribute and take care of their families. Ohioans expect elected officials to lead from a place of compassion and common sense, instead. The petition lays out the actions they want Ohio city and county officials to take:

• State and local police should not become arms of the Border Patrol or ICE. Their job is enforcing criminal law, not arresting and detaining immigrants under federal civil law.
• Immigration functions should not be outsourced to private companies. No mercenaries charged with rounding up immigrants; no private prisons to incarcerate them.
• State and local agencies should stay focused on their missions, whether that’s public safety, licensing, social services, healthcare, housing, or education. Immigration enforcement is a federal function, not a state and local one. Our cities should not be using local dollars to do the work of the federal government.
• Schools, houses of worship, and other community connection points should be off-limits for immigration enforcement. 
• No one should be stopped and questioned about their immigration status while driving, working, taking their kids to school, worshipping, volunteering, or participating in Ohio communities. Those matters should be left to the courts.
• Racial profiling is illegal. Our public officials should loudly denounce racial profiling, hate crimes, and harassment. It doesn’t matter if you are an individual or a government agency — no one should question, insult, or attack someone based on the way they look, dress, speak, or worship.
• Local governments should adopt policies that include immigrants, recognizing their inherent human dignity. These include language access policies; programs to fund immigration legal representation; immigration enforcement rapid response networks to address humanitarian needs; establishing safe spaces in our communities; and policies that leave civil immigration enforcement to the federal government alone.

Jona Hilario, statewide co-director of OPAWL –  Building AAPI Feminist Leadership in Ohio (formerly known as Ohio Progressive Asian Women’s Leadership), is urging all Ohio office holders to listen their community, their friends and neighbors.

“As an immigrant from the Philippines who has called Ohio home for the last 20 years, I am heartened to see proof of what I know to be true; that Ohioans by and large welcome immigrants. What we need is for our elected officials to act in accordance with the will of their constituents and show that they stand with immigrants by enacting policies that keep families together and uses our resources not to traumatize Ohioans, but to contribute to things that make all of us thrive,” she said.  

“I’m thrilled with this showing of support,” said Lynn Tramonte, executive director of Ohio Immigrant Alliance. “Sixty-nine of Ohio’s 88 counties are represented! Ohio really is home, and we are all in this together.” 

Many local officials have opted to remain focused on their core missions and not take on civil immigration duties. Still, a few Ohio counties have entered into agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to play a larger role in carrying out mass deportation. But today’s immigration system doesn’t work the way most people think it does, or should. Choosing to participate in civil enforcement today means taking part in family separations.

As Lucas County Sheriff Michael Navarre told the Toledo Blade, “I know right from wrong. And separating children from their parents is absolutely the wrong thing to do. It’s been ignored by the federal government. Nobody has a viable solution to what will happen to these children. Until they figure it out, I will not support mass deportations.”

Added Tramonte, “Ohio leaders have a choice to make — do you stand with immigrants who want to work hard, be safe, and take care of their families? Or play an active role in separating families? Mass deportation does not fix the immigration system. Neither does cancelling Temporary Protected Status, creating second-class citizens, or the myriad of other bad ideas coming out of Washington, DC. The Trump administration’s policies are harming our communities and making the system more broken. We need pragmatic solutions that move us forward together, including vision and leadership from Ohio elected officials.” 

In addition to 80 statewide and local organizations, people from the following counties signed on: Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Coshocton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Gallia, Geauga, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Huron, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morrow, Ottawa, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Portage, Preble, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Warren, Washington, Wayne, and Wood. 

The letter is being sent to Ohio’s U.S Senators and Members of Congress, county Sheriffs, and other city and county officials. Read the organizational letter here and sign the Ohio Stands With Immigrants petition here.