Galen Axel Anderson
Contributing Writer
At 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, the College ended its “Cultivating Hope Through Community & Resistance” series with the presentation “Litigating for Liberation with OCSILiO.” This event, hosted by Latinas Unidas and the Center for Belonging and Intercultural Dialogue, took place in Westminster Presbyterian Church. The presentation focused on highlighting the work of the Ohio Center for Strategic Immigration Litigation and Outreach (OCSILiO), a nonprofit that provides free legal services to individuals held in immigrant detention facilities in Ohio.
In the span of the last few years, Ohio has experienced a large increase in migrant detention efforts, according to the Dayton Daily News. Ohio currently has six government and privately operated detention facilities, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website. Frequently, jails and other correctional facilities — like the Butler County Sheriff’s Office in Hamilton, Ohio — are used to hold people detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “The border is here in Ohio,” Brandon Burkey ’18, deputy director of OCSILiO, said.
The growing number of detained individuals requiring assistance led OCSILiO to create community outreach programs, including internship opportunities for students like Sara Wesolek ’26, a double major in political science and sociology. Utilizing the APEX Fellowship program, Wesolek worked under the Director of OSCILiO Brian Hoffman. This internship included “[filling] out I-589s … applications for asylum” and filing Freedom of Information Act requests. When done by a for-profit firm, these requests can cost detainees more than $6,000.
For people entering facilities, finding representation is a legal hurdle to overcome, especially with those facing language barriers. Hoffman offered an example of the issues immigrants face in initial conversations with judges, which also requires them to acquire funds in the first place. To the question of what a detainee should do to find interpretation resources for paperwork filing, a judge said, quoted by Hoffman, “well, you gotta find somebody [to assist], good luck to you, sir.”
The challenges facing OCSILiO go beyond the detention centers. As Hoffman said, “in immigration court… even when you win, you don’t win, because there’s always something else to use to stop you.” The judges presiding over immigration courts are typically former DHS prosecutors who maintain professional connections with their former colleagues, thereby posing obstacles to fair and impartial legal proceedings for individuals involved in litigation, according to Hoffman
Hoffman described the litigation process as “asymmetrical warfare,” citing his experience in lower courts advocating for detainees.
OCSILiO is currently working to construct new office space to house a larger operation. Wesolek closed with remarks on working with OCSILiO, saying “the blockades to progressive politics are apathy and cynicism.”
Find out more about their efforts and get involved at https://www.ocsilio.org/.
Fantastic post — I shared it with my team and they found it useful.
Wow, it’s amazing to see organizations like OCSILiO stepping up for those in tough spots! The struggle for just legal representation is real, and it’s awesome that students like Sara can make a difference, you know? Every little bit counts!