Following reporting by The Dispatch and criticism from the public and his fellow Democrats, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said his office will review its longstanding policy on notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement about all detainees born outside the U.S.
“The Sheriff’s Office has operated under a longstanding booking policy of cooperating with law enforcement,” Baldwin told The Dispatch in an emailed statement on March 25. “The information requested by ICE is public information and available upon request by any law enforcement entity. We intend to review our policy with the appropriate legal review by the prosecutor’s office.”
The county jail staff for years has asked during booking where a detainee was born and proactively called ICE about all immigrants – anyone simply born outside the U.S., which could include people who are now citizens and other immigrants with legal status. Immigration attorneys told The Dispatch jails aren’t required to do this by law and Franklin County is going out of its way to alert ICE to all immigrants. The jail also sometimes holds immigrants past when they’re due to be released so ICE can come pick them up, contradicting the Sheriff’s policy that says not to honor ICE holds.
Lynn Tramonte, director of the Ohio Immigration Alliance, called the Franklin County policy “one of the most pro-ICE policies in the country.” Her group put out a call for the Franklin County Commissioners to repeal the sheriff’s policy.
Some of Columbus and Franklin County’s top leaders are united in their opposition to the sheriff’s office policy. But they said there’s nothing they can do about it because the sheriff is an independently elected official who is in charge of and sets policies for his office.
In a statement provided to The Dispatch, the three-member Franklin County Board of Commissioners said they do not set policy for the sheriff, which is a separate elected office. The commissioners do control the purse strings on funding for the sheriff’s office.
“However, we want to take this opportunity to reaffirm that Franklin County is a welcoming and diverse place made up of people from many different backgrounds,” the commissioners said. “We maintain that we represent the residents and their rights and interests and we will continue to work to create an environment where all residents feel valued, respected, and supported.”
On the city side, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and other city leaders have repeatedly emphasized that city police do not work with ICE to enforce immigration laws. But when city police drop an immigrant off at a county jail, even someone they’re charging with a minor infraction, jail staff alerts ICE.
“Well obviously, I have concerns and have raised those concerns,” Ginther said. “Obviously, the sheriff’s department is not under my jurisdiction and control. But we’ve been very clear and consistent the city of Columbus will not use resources to do the federal government’s job on immigration enforcement.”
Columbus City Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla told The Dispatch she’s concerned the sheriff’s policy hurts families.
“From my understanding, they aren’t compelled to do it, it’s just easier,” she said. “All we’ve asked is for them is, if this is not something they have to do, they’re not compelled to do it, then they don’t have to preemptively call.”
Baldwin didn’t know his own policy on ICE when Barroso de Padilla asked him about it months ago, she told The Dispatch. He later clarified the policy, which he said predates him becoming sheriff in 2017.
Barroso de Padilla said ICE is acting aggressively and has picked up people they shouldn’t. She said now is the time for civil servants to rethink what was done before.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County jails’ ICE policy under review after drawing criticism
Reporting by Jordan Laird, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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