Gianna Hayes
Chief News Editor
In an interview with the Voice, Founding Executive Director of the Ohio Center for Strategic Immigration Litigation and Outreach (OCSILiO) Brian Hoffman shed light on campus concerns over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence on campus.
OCSILiO is a nonprofit based in Wooster that serves clients seeking release from ICE detention.
Though Hoffman believes it is unlikely that ICE will visit Wooster’s campus, he did acknowledge that “we’re kind of living in a ‘never say never’ era.” He continued, saying “I don’t think it’s very likely but it’s not impossible [that ICE visits the campus] and I think now is definitely the time … to re-familiarize yourselves with [your] rights and privileges.”
Hoffman shared that the city of Wooster is not seeing much ICE presence compared to larger Ohio cities like Cleveland, Columbus or Dayton. He further explained that immigrants detained in Wayne County were detained through traffic stops and other minor infractions which lead to ICE being notified through local law enforcement, or through immigration check-ins.
Local law enforcement can cooperate with ICE through 287(g) agreements, which allow them to act on behalf of immigration agents. Ohio currently has 13 different County Sheriff’s Offices and Municipality Police Departments participating in the 287(g) program. This includes some county jails like Medina, Mahoning, Franklin and Delaware county jails.
“Because of these political promises that [were] made about deportation numbers, [ICE is] much more willing to kind of go out into the countryside … and find people,” Hoffman said. “But it’s always really been the urban centers where risk is higher, it’s just not a high end concentration of [immigrants] in rural areas to be worth their while, so to speak.”
Hoffman emphasized that being aware of your rights and your options is the best course of action currently, but it’s important to not panic. “It’s prudent to be concerned but there’s a difference between being concerned with educating yourself about your rights and panicking,” he said. “You have nothing to worry about as long as [you] don’t overstay [your] student visa or drop out of school. If you are someone who is truly undocumented, then I think it is a time to maybe not come to the attention of the government,” Hoffman said.
The Voice is committed to providing up to date information on ICE activity and protecting our campus community. To the best of our abilities, we will provide weekly or semi-weekly updates on the Trump Administration’s ICE activity as it pertains to the College, Wooster and Ohio at large. If you have any tips, please reach out to ghayes26@wooster.edu, acrouse27@wooster.edu and hmarten28@wooster.edu.
