The Franklin County Board of Commissioners, which includes the husband of a sitting congresswoman, is vowing to create safe spaces for residents “regardless of immigration status.”
The county, home to the Ohio Statehouse, posted a statement on its Facebook page, specifically vowing to help those worried about “interactions with government agencies.”
“We recognize that some members of our community may have concerns regarding their interactions with government agencies,” the board said in a Facebook post. “That’s why we want to reassure everyone that county facilities are open for all residents, regardless of immigration status, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, color, national origin, age, gender identity or expression, ancestry, familial status, military status, disability, or genetic information.”
Democrat Kevin Boyce, a former state treasurer and the husband of Democratic U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, is a member of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners.
Sykes, a former state lawmaker from 2015 to 2022 and former Ohio House minority leader, was elected to Congress in 2022.
She currently serves in the 13th Congressional District, which is centered in Akron. Sykes won her initial congressional race and her 2024 re-election with slightly more than 50% of the ballots cast.
When asked by Ohio.news about the Franklin County policy, a spokesperson for Sykes did not comment.
However, Franklin County commissioners’ position probably isn’t shocking for Sykes, as Democrats in Ohio and nationwide have vowed to stymie U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts to track down, apprehend and deport illegal aliens in Ohio and the country. Ohio has about six unofficial sanctuary cities.
“Ohioans have been loud and clear that they are sick and tired of the Democrats’ dangerous open border agenda,” NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella told Ohio.news. “Extreme Democrat Emilia Sykes must answer whether she agrees with this absurd initiative that will protect illegal immigrants and make Ohio communities less safe.”
While the county’s position may play well with liberals and in the Democratic-leaning enclave of Columbus, the virtue signaling on Facebook wasn’t met with universal praise.
“The citizens of Franklin County DEMAND that you honor your oaths to the Constitution & stop wasting taxpayer funds and services on non-citizens,” one commenter posted.
“What steps are you taking to actively protect residents?” another poster asked. “Or is a statement that you serve everyone the full extent of your advocacy? Because that’s worth exactly nothing.”
This week, ICE agents reportedly apprehended dozens of illegal aliens in Northeast Ohio. While reports were vague about those apprehended in Ohio, reports indicated that the efforts centered in and around Cleveland.
Reports of ICE activities in Ohio should be no surprise, as some Ohio officials have previously confirmed to Ohio.news they plan to help the Trump administration with deportations.
Reports of similar raids across the country, including in liberal cities such as New York City and Chicago, have surfaced since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, delivering a campaign promise of the 47th president. According to Axios, upward of 5,000 people have been arrested in raids nationwide since Trump returned to office.
The exact number of illegal aliens in the country is open to debate. The American Immigration Council estimated there were roughly 11 million in the United States as of 2022, while a Yale estimate found the number could be more than 22 million.
Regardless, the enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws appears to be ramping up.
On Wednesday, Trump sent a memo to the secretaries of defense and homeland security, directing them “to take all appropriate actions to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States.” They are also “to address attendant immigration enforcement needs identified by the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.”
