Activists pressure Columbus officials, Franklin County judges, Ohio State leaders to be more anti-ICE

Activists are pushing Ohio officials, including Columbus officials, Franklin County judges, and the Ohio State University leaders, to be more vocal about being against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, with Columbus City Council members recently introducing legislation to restrict ICE’s ability to operate inside the city.

Columbus City Council, however, acknowledged that it doesn’t have the authority to stop the federal agents from conducting their raids, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Despite the lack of authority, the officials said that they can still “secure” the city’s public spaces by not allowing the ICE agents to enter without a judicial warrant, share information with ICE agents, “criminalize harassment at day cares and schools,” “investigate and store evidence of crimes” committed against the people living inside the city, and “prohibit the permitting of detention centers.”

“Columbus is a city built by immigrants, and our responsibility as local leaders is to protect the trust that keeps our communities safe,” Columbus City Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla told The Columbus Dispatch. “This legislative package reflects our commitment to ensuring that residents can go to work, take their children to school, or seek help when they need it without fear.”

Meanwhile, activists in Franklin County began pressuring the Franklin County Municipal Court judges to keep the ICE agents out of the building after the agents previously arrested a man inside the building, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Hundreds of people have sent nearly 6,400 emails to the judges since Asian American Midwest Progressives Ohio launched the campaign in August 2025. The Franklin County public defenders’ union also criticized judges for cooperating with ICE.

“Everybody has a basic human right to seek justice without the fear of being kidnapped by federal ICE agents,” Sharon Kim, lead organizer for AMMP Ohio, said.

Franklin County Municipal Court Administrative Judge Jessica D’Varga said that the judges are aware of the email campaign.

“As a first-generation American and a naturalized citizen, I am glad to see the community care deeply for justice for everyone,” Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Ajmeri Hoque told the news outlet. “As a member of the judiciary, I am committed to ensuring fair access to court and the safety of all court participants.”

The Cincinnati City Council’s newest member, Ryan James, also recently introduced an anti-ICE motion that would direct the city administration not to ask residents about their citizenship for any city program, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The Ohio State University’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors also recently spoke out against ICE, urging the university’s leadership to oppose the ICE agents, according to NBC 4.

“We urge OSU to stop criminalizing free expression and to create an intellectual civic space that befits a university,” AAUP-OSU said. “And we call on university leaders to explicitly commit to defending our community against lawless intimidation by ICE, CBP, and related agencies.”

Amid the ongoing push back against the ICE, Tricia McLaughlin, the spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, announced that she will be leaving the department, Politico reported.

“I am enormously grateful to President Trump, Secretary Noem, and the American people for the honor and privilege to serve this great nation,” she wrote on X. “I look forward to continuing the fight ahead.”

I am enormously grateful to President Trump, Secretary Noem, and the American people for the honor and privilege to serve this great nation. I am immensely proud of the team we built and the historic accomplishments achieved by this Administration and the Department of Homeland… https://t.co/j5mF5e0uvq

— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) February 18, 2026

McLaughlin told The Enquirer that she’s been planning to leave her job since December.