Federal immigration agents brought 20 people to the Geauga County jail in Chardon Sunday, amid a nationwide push by federal agencies to crack down on illegal immigration.
In the first week of his second term, President Donald Trump signed dozens of executive orders, several of which rework the nation's immigration system, including orders to suspend refugee admissions into the country, to declare a national emergency at the southern border and to end birthright citizenship, which a federal judge has temporarily blocked.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported 956 people were arrested nationwide on Sunday, and another 1,179 on Monday.
U.S. Homeland Security Investigations said on social media officers are "working to apprehend Immigration violators in Michigan and Ohio."
Over the weekend, reports about ICE arrests at a local restaurant circulated on social media. The co-owner of Cilantro Taqueria in Cleveland Heights told WKYC that six of those taken into custody Sunday worked at the restaurant, which was closed Monday evening. Both the Tremont and North Olmsted locations were open.
Signage showing support of immigration posted outside of Cilantro Taqueria in Cleveland Heights, which was closed today. pic.twitter.com/oWFTIIPINJ
— Gabriel Kramer (@GabrielKKramer) January 28, 2025
The sheriff’s office did not say where the other people brought to the Geauga County jail were arrested, and immigration officials did not return multiple calls for comment.
Immigration advocates say news of the crackdown nationwide coupled with the reports of local immigration enforcement have left many in Northeast Ohio migrant communities fearful.
Despite reports of a nationwide immigration enforcement push, the number of people arrested and brought to the Geauga County jail for immigration violations was not higher than usual, according to the sheriff's department.
As of Monday afternoon, there were a total of 58 ICE detainees being held there.
There are normally about 50 to 60 ICE detainees held at the county jail, according to Geauga County Deputy Chief Thomas Rowan. That’s been the norm for the past year, he said.
“We’ve had times where we’ve taken 10, 12 at a time, so I don’t think it’s anything crazy,” Rowan said. “On average, that’s about where we’ve been.”
ICE has an agreement with two jails in Ohio to hold its detainees: the Geauga County Safety Center in Chardon and the Seneca County jail in Tiffin.
ICE detentions and deportations also occurred under the Biden administration. In 2024, the number of deportations reached a 10-year high of more than 271,000, more than during any year of the first Trump administration.
Changes to the federal government's approach to illegal immigration were expected after Trump, who made a crackdown central to his campaign, was elected to a second term in November.
Now, local municipalities are trying to navigate the shifting terrain.
“There have been a blizzard of Executive Orders issued this week — literally “hundreds of executive actions” per the White House — and many of which have immigration-related ramifications,” city of Cleveland spokesperson Tyler Sinclair said last week in a statement to Ideastream. “We are carefully reviewing each one at this time to understand if and how they will impact us locally here in Cleveland.”
On Monday, Painesville, a Northeast Ohio city with a substantial Mexican community, said the city has no official stance on immigration.
"The City supports multiculturalism and respects diversity because it strengthens the community," the statement reads. "It is not the City’s job to track and arrest people who are in this country illegally, but the City does share information with ICE about violent criminals or drug offenders who identify as potentially undocumented."
But for some, the detentions over the weekend felt like harbingers of a significant shift.
“The media and the President will have you believe these people are criminals,” said Cleveland City Councilmember Jasmin Santana, whose Ward 14 includes the Clark-Fulton, which is home to a sizeable Latino community. “This wasn’t a raid. This was a targeted effort against Latinos.”
“I’m not going to be quiet about this issue. I’m going to organize, I’m going to protest, and I will be talking to the mayor tomorrow," she said, speaking during the city council meeting Monday night. “I am going to ask for a statement, but more importantly, we need a plan in place to protect our working families.”
