ICE jeopardizing lives of detainees in our jails. Taxpayers at risk | Opinion
Christine Cockley is currently serving her first term as a state representative. State Sen. Bill DeMora represents Ohio’s 25th Senate District. Mark Sigrist represents the 10th House District.
Families across central Ohio have been living in constant fear and uncertainty since the federal government launched "Operation Buckeye" Dec. 16. Neighbors with legal status have disappeared from streets, homes and workplaces.
All the while, Ohio has seen little to no transparency.
Reports of masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and the use of local jails as detention centers have raised serious concerns about our constitutional rights and the well-being of our communities. Instead of prioritizing the detention of violent criminals, ICE is engaging in racial profiling and subjecting people to inhumane conditions.
In July, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction conducted an inspection of the Butler County Jail, currently used as an ICE detention facility. The inspection revealed food service violations and overcrowding. Despite recommendations to reduce the overcrowding, the county sheriff has accepted more detainees.
Fundamental standards are not being met
Additionally, reports have surfaced of heating failures during the winter, exposing detainees to cold, overcrowded conditions that threaten their health and safety.
These are not minor administrative oversights, rather indicators of a system that is failing to meet its most fundamental standards.
Once the state allows people to be detained in its facilities, it assumes responsibility for them. Ohio has both a legal and moral obligation to ensure that everyone held in a state-regulated facility is treated humanely and in accordance with the Constitution, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.
ICE claims its actions target individuals with serious criminal records, but investigative reporting and advocacy groups have found growing evidence that many detainees are being held without clear justification, and little evidence that the people being detained are violent criminals.
Local news outlets have attempted to verify ICE's claims but have been met with silence. When journalists cannot obtain basic information, and the federal government refuses transparency, public trust decreases, spreading fear in our communities.
Families deserve to know where their loved ones are
Ohioans deserve peace of mind that they will not be racially profiled, swept into an overcrowded detention center and stripped of their constitutional rights without due process.
Families deserve to know where their loved ones are, whether they are safe, and what legal protections they have. Communities deserve assurance that state facilities are not being used in ways that violate both human dignity and the rule of law.
The state cannot turn a blind eye.
The federal government must provide transparency.
We cannot allow our county jails to quietly become federal detention sites without proper oversight or accept a system where people are held in degrading conditions while the government refuses to answer even the most basic questions.
Ohio taxpayers must be protected
As state legislators, we have called on ODRC to take immediate steps, including frequent unannounced inspections, a plan to reduce jail populations to safe levels, a review of heating and environmental systems, a clear explanation of why ICE detainees are being housed with the general jail population and a thorough assessment of the state's legal liability.
These steps will not only protect taxpayers from costly lawsuits arising from the state's involvement in unlawful and inhumane federal practices but also promote transparency. Most importantly, they will ensure that Ohio is not complicit in these actions.
When government institutions operate in the shadows, fear grows.
Ohio should be a state where families feel safe and where everyone is treated with dignity. Achieving this requires transparency, accountability and a commitment from state leaders to protect constitutional rights.
We are dedicated to honoring this commitment and pushing others to do the same.
Christine Cockley is currently serving her first term as a state representative. She represents the 6th House District, which encompasses parts of Franklin County.
Bill DeMora is currently serving his first term as a state senator. He represents the 25th Senate District, which encompasses parts of Franklin County.
Mark Sigrist is currently serving his first term as a state representative. He represents the 10th House District, which encompasses parts of Franklin County.