source: Ohio Immigrant Alliance.
Anticipating major changes in immigration policy during the second Trump administration, Ohio Immigrant Alliance launched the Ohio Immigrant Hotline in January 2025. We knew it was needed because of our experiences during the first Trump presidency, when helping each other deal with stressful immigration situations was vital. The Hotline is part of our “Build The Nest” strategy and the OhioIsHome.org resource website.
On March 25, OIA released a report about the Hotline’s first year of existence, using Hotline operations data, called “Connecting Ohio: The Ohio Immigrant Hotline’s First Year in Action.”
Click here to download the report.
Hotline Accomplishments The Hotline has led to concrete, positive outcomes.
● We helped scores of people find high quality immigration lawyers
● We deposited thousands of dollars in jail commissary and phone accounts for 50 people
● We helped families and individuals raise thousands of dollars for lawyers, filing fees, medical needs, and post-deportation support
● We connected scores of callers to volunteer opportunities, groups in their area, donation opportunities, and other ways to take action
● Based on information we received from detained immigrants, we identified violations of Ramadan meal services at an Ohio immigration jail and notified the ACLU of Ohio, who resolved the problem with jail leadership. While this interim win did not reduce 8 incarceration, it improved the quality of life for hundreds of Muslim immigrants detained in this jail. It also gave us valuable insight into how the jail works, and even the makeup of the jail population, which is valuable information
● We are currently working on a lawsuit due to a report that came in through the Hotline
Analysis of Hotline Data Call/Email Volume
The Hotline came online in January 2025, and handled 548 incidents overall between January 2025 and the end of February 2026. We experienced a sharp uptick during “Operation Buckeye” in Columbus at the end of last year. Prior to December 2025, the busiest month on the Hotline was October, with 40 incidents. In December, we handled 94. Since then, the volume of calls and emails has remained high.
In 2025, the Hotline averaged 39 incidents a month. During the first two months of 2026, it averaged 96 incidents per month.
Incident Types
Reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol activity within Ohio were by far the most common type of call received during the Hotline’s first year. We track these and use the information in our immigrant protection work and advocacy, but do not report the activity back out to the community. We don’t currently have the staffing to confirmthem and spread the information in real time. ICE Watch groups have sprung up all around the state, organizing themselves hyperlocally, like the model from Minnesota. We also got a high number of reports of people arrested by ICE and the Border Patrol (73). Sometimes it’s a loved one asking us to help find their person, because they think Immigration may have taken them, and don’t know how to locate them. Other times it’s a lawyer or friend calling because their client is being denied medication in an immigration jail. One time, a member of the community called to ask what to do with a child that was left on the side of the road, after her father was taken by Immigration. It’s heartening to see that a large number of incidents recorded on the Hotline are of people who reached out because they want to help immigrants. We tell them about volunteering opportunities at OIA and encourage them to get involved with local groups. In 2026, several artists, makers, and restaurants set up fundraisers to benefit OIA or other groups. The spirit of solidarity and community in Ohio is real. There are some people who mistake our Hotline for ICE’s Tip Line, and call to report the presence of immigrants. There were a few people who made harassing or prank calls. But the vast majority of the people calling the Hotline are immigrants who need help; loved ones of people who are immigrants; professionals who want guidance on how to protect their staff, clients, customers, and community from out-of-control immigration enforcement; and ordinary, concerned Ohioans.
Regional Comparison
It comes as no surprise that It comes as no surprise that Central Ohio reported the largest number of incidents (229). Columbus’ immigrant population has been growing; in December 2025, there was an influx of ICE agents in that region that significantly increased the needs fulfilled by the Hotline; and community leaders and organizations have promoted the Hotline in their own materials. Northeast Ohio came second with 123 incidents.
Agencies Involved ICE was, far and away, the most common agency involved in incidents reported to the Hotline. For example, we received a report and video showing an ICE agent smashing out all of the windows of someone’s car, as a pretext to try to get them to come out of their house to be arrested.
State and local police in Ohio have been playing a very active role in assisting ICE, and the Border Patrol along the northern part of the state, with civil immigration enforcement. For example, there have been several reports about someone with car trouble first being met on the side of the road by police, who called an immigration agency. Another common scenario is a police officer pulling someone over and asking to see their driver’s license, and arresting them if they cannot produce one. They will either ask ICE or the Border Patrol to meet them on the side of the road and wait, or take the person to the police station and wait for Immigration there. As mentioned previously, we received information about one incident where the local police and immigration agents left a child in a car, alone, and took her dad.
