State National

As ICE looks to enforce immigration laws, activists look to help people in the country illegally

By Henry Aleksandrov | January 16, 2026

As some continue to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s enforcement of federal law, federal authorities are pushing back against claims of improper behavior and doubling down on their efforts to capture illegal immigrants by implementing new technology.

“ICE officers are aware of the real and emotional impact of immigration enforcement,” Cleveland.com quoted U.S. Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, as saying in an email.

“Officers do their jobs professionally and treat those they encounter with dignity and respect,” Miller added. “These officers and their families live, shop, worship, and attend school in the same communities they serve, so the immediate and extreme impact of immigration enforcement is not lost on them. ICE agents deserve the gratitude and support of our nation as they secure the homeland from criminal illegal aliens who terrorize neighborhoods and victimize innocent Americans.”

Media and activists disputed that characterization.

However, earlier this month, federal immigration authorities said they removed more than 280 illegal aliens from across the state as part of Operation Buckeye. Among those removed are people convicted of aggravated assault against a police officer, criminal possession of a firearm, drug trafficking, and robbery.

“The American people can be so proud of their ICE law enforcement for their hard work arresting the worst of the worst even during the holiday season,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a release earlier this month. “Operation Buckeye resulted in the arrest of more than 280 illegal aliens, including criminals convicted of assaulting a police officer, criminal firearm possession, and drug trafficking. Thanks to our law enforcement, Ohio neighborhoods are safer with these criminals behind bars where they belong.”

Enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws is facing blowback from activists and Democratic elected officials, leading to sometimes violent protests nationwide.

“An attack on an officer is not just an attack on one person; it is an attack on the rule of law that keeps our community safe,” Christine Oliver, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police associates’ chapter and founder of Back the Blue Ohio, said, according to WKBN-TV.

Meanwhile, Ohio’s Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken also criticized the DHS, ICE, and Border Patrol, calling them a “terrorist group.” The label drew criticism from state Rep. Josh Williams, R-Sylvania-Twp., on X.

“This kind of unhinged rhetoric is why ICE agents are facing an unprecedented increase in threats,” he wrote in a post to the social media platform. “Law enforcement is not terrorists for deporting illegal aliens and defending themselves from threats to their lives.”

Among other pro-immigrant organizations helping immigrants were Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Jose Juarez Jr., an immigration attorney with Bartell Georgalas & Juarez in Cleveland, told Ideastream that immigrants have “the exact same constitutional rights that any American has.”

According to Juarez, there are three instances where people are likely to encounter ICE: at home or at work. In all instances, a person has a right to remain silent and have an attorney.

Immigration enforcement has spilled over into Ohio schools. Ohio’s Southwestern Education Association is among the school groups that have denounced ICE activity near schools in the state.

“ICE’s presence in central Ohio is causing fear, upheaval, and panic in immigrant communities. This will predictably harm the school environment by causing increased absences, decreased student achievement, and parental disengagement,” SWEA Spokesperson Emmalee Harding said in a Thursday press release.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said on Monday that the department will be using drones to find illegal immigrants both at the border and inside the country.

“Drones represent the new frontier of American air superiority. Under President Trump, we are entering a new era to defend our air superiority to protect our borders and the interior of the United States,” she wrote on X. “This will help us continue to secure the border and cripple the cartels, protect our infrastructure, and keep Americans safe as they attend festivities and events during a historic year of America’s 250th birthday and FIFA 2026.”

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