ELYRIA, Ohio— Lorain County officials have pushed back after being named to a federal list of so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions” – a false designation that has shocked local leaders who claim to have always cooperated with immigration enforcement.
Following a four-day sprint to clarify the county’s position and correct the record, Lorain County Sheriff Jack Hall announced at Tuesday’s Lorain County Board of Commissioners meeting that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had officially confirmed the county’s removal from the contentious list.
To clear up any remaining confusion, commissioners unanimously approved a formal resolution reaffirming that Lorain County is not, and never has been, a sanctuary jurisdiction. The unusual step represented a departure from the board’s usual procedures.
“Normally, we pass resolutions for things we’re going to do,” Lorain County Commissioner Jeff Riddell stated at the meeting. “It’s unusual, and I may regret someday setting this precedent, but we’re going to put up for consideration vote a resolution on what we’re not going to do.”
Commissioner David Moore added that he would typically oppose such legislation because immigration policy is a federal issue. However, “considering the threats that were made against this county in regard to pulling our funding, hurting our citizens, all because of misinformation,” he voted to approve the resolution.
Lorain County officials are still seeking answers about how the county was included on the list released by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to the agency, the list complies with President Donald Trump’s April 28 executive order, which directs DHS to publicly identify jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and may face termination of federal funding.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Hall presented detailed statistics to demonstrate the county’s cooperation, stating that the sheriff’s department has contacted federal immigration authorities “every single time that someone has come across our radar in a criminal investigation.”
Since taking office, his department has contacted the US Border Patrol or ICE about at least 22 people, 20 of whom were directly involved in labor, sex, or drug trafficking in hotels along the turnpike.
“I don’t think anyone was more surprised than me when I saw the front door of my sheriff’s office on several news media outlets stating that Lorain County was designated as a sanctuary jurisdiction,” Hall disclosed to the commissioners.
According to Hall, federal immigration officials in Cleveland were also surprised by the county’s inclusion. He stated that supervisors at the Border Patrol and ICE offices in Cleveland, as well as the larger Detroit regional office, were unsure how Lorain County ended up on the list.
State and federal officials, including Ohio Rep. Bob Latta and Ohio Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, assisted local officials in determining how Lorain County ended up on the list in the first place.
“It’s kind of nice to have that kind of communication from all of our local elected officials, our congressional and senators,” Moore said. “Even though this was, I felt, like an attack on us, it was nice to see how we all came together.”
By Sunday, the efforts had been successful. According to Hall, ICE supervisors notified the county sheriff’s office that the problematic list had been removed, as well as Lorain County.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ryan Overton, an assistant director in the Detroit regional ICE office, provided the county with written confirmation of its official removal from any DHS sanctuary jurisdiction lists.
The federal investigation into why Lorain County was included on the list is still ongoing. However, Overton told Hall that officials believe the county was incorrectly placed on the list by “the prior federal administration” and had been incorrectly included for “a few years” without the knowledge of local officials.
Overton also confirmed that the county would keep its federal funding. Hall stated that this includes $117,000 in annual task force funding and other federal pass-through funding for county services, such as critical programs for seniors and the elderly.
Lorain County was one of five Ohio jurisdictions listed by the DHS, which also included Franklin and Warren counties, as well as the cities of Cincinnati and Columbus, as “sanctuary jurisdictions” that violated immigration laws.
