From nearly killing TikTok in order to save it, and then “threatening” to take it away again, Trump is using classic abuser tactics. From attempting to control content on all major social media channels, Trump is using classic authoritarian tactics.

From passing legislation like H.R. 29/S. 5 that gives anti-immigrant states the right to control federal immigration policy, and encourages neighbors to report anyone they want to the police, Congress is enabling the abuser and authoritarian. ICE has already stepped up to promote its tip line.

That’s the context in which the Trump administration’s Executive Orders must be read. The administration is cancelling a long-standing policy that said schools and houses of worship should be safe from immigration police. Other Executive Orders attempt to erase the recognition of trans and gender nonbinary people, and the citizenship of children who were born here.

Said Maryam Sy, Organizing Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, “We know what we need. We need safety. Community. Trump is about threatening people, and a lot of what he is doing will be litigated in court. In the meantime people like me, who were born in other countries, will have our place in this country constantly questioned. My children were born here. My husband has a business here. He survived a genocide in Mauritania and came here to have a life. We know what we need and we know what to do to keep ourselves safe. We are calling on Ohio hospitals, businesses, local governments, schools, places of worship, and other community spaces to join in. When we unite, we’re stronger. We are a force and we have power."

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance created OhioIsHome.org as a one-stop shop for immigrants to learn how to enforce their essential human rights, and community partners like schools, businesses, houses of worship, and other public-facing entities to stay focused on their missions and not become arms of the immigration police.

The basic guideline is this: there are public spaces and private spaces in/around every home, business, school, agency, and house of worship. ICE and the Border Patrol are not allowed to enter private spaces without a judicial warrant, which they rarely seek and get. They typically misrepresent themselves as “Police” and use so-called administrative warrants that they sign and issue themselves. You do not have to open your private space to an immigration agent with a flimsy piece of paper that looks official.  

The Ohio Is Home website is available in English, French, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese. For a bird’s eye view of the resources available, see this site guide.

“We created this website for Ohio immigrants, service providers, and concerned community members, OhioIsHome.org, because Ohio is our home and we are building community together. We have resources for mental wellness; beautiful art made by immigrants; guides for accessing legal help and working with attorneys; as well as information for service providers to stay focused on their core missions, rather than becoming arms of the immigration police. People are not defined by their citizenship or place of birth; they are defined by their humanity,” said Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of OHIA. “Migration is a basic part of being human, and whether you came to Ohio from Georgia or Guatemala, this is your home now. We’re glad you are here and we will work with everyone to keep our communities and loved ones safe,” she added.  

-----------------------

Ohio Immigrant Alliance has also stood up a new abuse reporting hotline, hotline@ohioimmigrant.org, with a phone number to follow.