Immigrant Rights

03.16.21

So You Want To Submit A Public Records Request…

By Sarah Khan-Williamson

March 14^th kicked off Sunshine Week – a national initiative all about raising awareness around the importance of open government. This weeklong celebration brings advocates, activists, news media, and others together to highlight the importance of having laws that keep government records and official meetings open and accessible to the public.

03.12.21

Introducing Our Columbus Police Contract Negotiation Toolkit

By Celina Coming

Police practices gained national notoriety this summer in the wake of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. But for those of us paying attention, we know that indefensible police violence against people of color is hardly new. And since this summer, Ohio has seen others tragically killed at the hands of the police allegedly charged to protect us.

03.11.21

Ohio Counties Need to Cut Ties with ICE

By Celina Coming

When President Joe Biden took office on January 20, 2021 it ignited a number of conversations about what’s first on the new administration’s agenda. One topic that rose quickly to the top was immigration. While the federal government has authority over immigration policy, state and local governments play an active role in implementation.

07.05.18

“How Did We Get Here?” An Historical Reconciliation

By Celina Coming

To usher in the summer of 2018, the state of Ohio distinguished itself in vigorously enforcing the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, and the detention of families. In the first week of June, 114 people were captured at Corso’s Flower and Gardening Center in Sandusky.

06.27.18

WHY WE CAN’T STAY SILENT.

By Celina Coming

I will never forget the day my son was born. I knew the moment I first held him that there was nothing I wouldn’t do to keep him safe and ensure he had the best possible life. This instinctual drive to protect and nurture our children is shared by mothers and fathers everywhere.

11.08.17

The Right to Asylum: What Can We Do?

By Celina Coming

In the last few weeks we walked together on the path to understand asylum; we discussed the horrors of detention and the lack of legal counsel, as well as many inhumane practices that violate human rights standards. For this last blog we will look at the situation regarding the right to asylum here in the state of Ohio, as well as examine the ways in which we, regular citizens, can respond to human rights concerns.

10.19.17

The Right to Asylum: Detention and Legal Counsel

By Celina Coming

When we think about the detention, what first comes to mind is that it is a form of punishment. Punishment for a misdemeanor, felony, or for any ‘wrongdoing’ that requires isolation from the society or serves as a lesson – that through incarceration the individual is supposed to rehabilitate, and refrain from committing a violation of the law again.

10.02.17

The Right to Asylum: Migration Law

By Dan Rogan

Favianna Rodriguez in her outstanding artwork titled, “Migration is Beautiful” draws butterflies to represent the migration of people across the world. Butterflies, unlike people, can fly over the border, over the border guards, over the fences, and even over Donald Trump’s proposed border wall.

09.20.17

The Right to Asylum: Legal Relief From Persecution

By Emma Keeshin

There is no more natural trait to humanity or to the nature of any being on this planet than migration. Migration has accompanied us since our origins, and the causes for migration vary from climate change, to wars, to seeking new opportunities.

06.20.17

Nothing Gained from Painesville Policy 413

By James Kosmatka

The recent introduction of Painesville Police Department Policy 413 has left many wondering what Chief Powalie hopes to gain by involving his department with enforcement of federal immigration laws.

At a public meeting on March 15 at Perry Library, Chief Powalie said his department would not initiate contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when encountering undocumented immigrants.

06.02.17

It’s On Us: Declaring and Defending Sanctuary Cities

By James Kosmatka

Over the past several months, sanctuary cities have been under increased scrutiny by federal officials. We can’t allow this.

Why Sanctuary Cities?

Sanctuary cities have adopted social, economic and political policies to protect the constitutional rights of all their residents, particularly those who are undocumented.

04.05.17

Immigration Facts Put Sanctuary Cities on the Right Side of History

By James Kosmatka

While President Trump’s executive order against immigrants from six predominantly Muslim countries is in the courts, it is worthwhile to remind ourselves that the stated reasons for immigration reform—protecting against terrorism from the Middle East—are not supported by the facts.

Using Syracuse University’s TRAC Immigration database, I analyzed how immigration detainers were used in Ohio from November 2002 through September 2015.

03.14.17

How We Got to Muslim Ban 2.0

By James Kosmatka

Since 9/11, Muslims have been subjected to unlawful state surveillance, profiling, and deportation for imagined threats to the United States. This treatment has permanent consequences for individuals and their families and is a stain on our collective conscience. In his first days in office, President Donald Trump acted on his campaign promise of “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” by implementing anti-immigrant executive orders.

03.13.17

Organizing and Activism: It Takes All Kinds—The ACLU at Oberlin

By Emma Keeshin

In this time of fear and uncertainty, one of the best things we can do for ourselves to maintain energy and positivity is to gather in a room with others, face-to-face, to strategize about a way forward. On February 28, Oberlin College students, faculty, members of the Oberlin community, and ACLU of Ohio staff did just that.

02.08.17

“Alternative Facts” on Sanctuary Cities Will Hurt Our Communities

By Mike Brickner

One of the major fears rising from the campaign of Donald Trump was that his rhetoric would embolden state and local officials—especially those seeking to capitalize on the headlines the President is generating—who wanted to roll back important Constitutional protections. Case in point: the recent announcement by state Treasurer (and 2018 U.S.

11.21.16

It’s Time for DHS to Cut Ties with For-Profit Prisons

By Jeff Miller

Following the release of a report that showed how dangerous and mismanaged private prisons are, the Department of Justice announced that the Bureau of Prisons would stop using them for federal prisoners. This was a big step in the right direction and celebrated by advocates who have diligently worked against prison privatization.

08.26.15

Improving Health Policies for Ohio’s Undocumented Immigrants

By Steve David

It’s widely acknowledged that the state of Ohio does not prioritize undocumented immigrants in policy making as much as it could.

Ohio’s undocumented immigrant population is only 95,000, relatively small compared to the national total of 11 million. Yet, an April report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research cited the state of Ohio as the worst state among the 50 and the District of Columbia for policies and laws that support the health and well-being of undocumented immigrants.

07.08.15

The Economic Impact of Immigration: A Look at Ohio

By Adrienne Gavula

In America, 11 million undocumented immigrants are living on the outskirts of society.  Of those 11 million, 95,000 live in Ohio. Many of these immigrant have been in the United States for more than 10 years and they have been waiting for a legal pathway to citizenship.

02.20.15

Ohio Votes: Real Versus Imagined Problems

By Shakyra Diaz

There are those who operate under the theory that if something is said long enough and loud enough it becomes reality.

The more cynical among us believe it doesn’t matter if the something said is true or not, so long as people believe it is. 

02.14.15

Undocumented: Safe for Now, But for How Long?

By Steve David

Last November, President Obama announced a package of executive actions that would provide some protection to more than 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.

One of those executive actions expanded Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for children who entered the United States before the age of 16.

09.16.14

Senate Bill 349: An Attack on Civil Rights Protections

By Ellen Kubit

Have you shown up to rent an apartment, but were turned away because of the color of your skin? Or because you have a disability? The law might not be on your side anymore.

Discrimination in access to housing is unlawful.

08.08.14

Help Kids and Lose Your Funding: New Legislation’s Heartless Approach to Immigration Crisis

By Melissa Bilancini

There is a crisis going on and, like all crises, things are not working out perfectly. In this case, the latest concern is the estimated 57,000+ people who have found their way to the southern border of the U.S. and into the country.

08.04.14

With No Legal Authority, Ohio Jails Detain Immigrants

By Melissa Bilancini

While Americans of all political persuasions continue the debate about who enters this country and under what circumstances, an important development is taking place under the radar, away from the yelling.

For several years, local jails have cooperated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to screen all new prisoners.

06.11.14

This For-Profit Company Needs To Stop Making Money By Locking Up Immigrants

By Shakyra Diaz

Right here in Ohio, a company is making millions in taxpayer dollars by keeping people in prison. The longer people stays in prison, the more money they are worth.

Prisons for profit are a multi-billion-dollar industry that depends on, and profits from, our national addiction to incarceration.