Columbus Democrats Rush to Shield Illegal Aliens, Tie Hands of Police from Working with ICE [WATCH]

The Columbus City Council approved five emergency ordinances and a resolution Monday night aimed at restricting how federal immigration enforcement operates within the city, drawing praise from council leaders and criticism from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and federal officials.

The legislative package was introduced following the Department of Homeland Security’s deployment of immigration officers to Columbus and other cities.

Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla said the measures were expedited in part because Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants is set to expire next month.

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Two of the newly passed ordinances focus on city employees. One prohibits Columbus police from partnering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out federal immigration enforcement.

Another bars city employees from holding secondary employment with ICE or U.S. Border Patrol.

“Immigration is a civil issue and what we have seen is we have made a political choice in this country to detain people for a civil issue,” Barroso de Padilla said.

Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorans defended the council’s authority to adopt the measures, citing the city’s powers under state law.

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“We have home rule here in Columbus and in Ohio under Ohio’s constitution,” Dorans said.

Dorans also addressed criticism from the state attorney general.

“If the attorney general wants to say that we can’t prohibit folks taking secondary employment with ICE, I’d like to see his legal reasoning behind that,” Dorans said.

Yost responded more than a week ago in a post on X, questioning the enforceability of the council’s actions.

“The legislation is as legally enforceable as the media advisory. It’s a political stunt,” Yost wrote.

“The city has no authority over federal immigration operations, the media advisory states.”

That is correct. The legislation is as legally enforceable as the media advisory. It’s a political stunt.

Columbus council pitches bill to restrict ICE agents https://t.co/lbEnj5zdYt

— Dave Yost (@DaveYostOH) February 13, 2026

The Department of Homeland Security also weighed in on the council’s decision. In a statement, a spokesperson said that limiting cooperation with federal authorities would lead to increased federal visibility.

“When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with us, that is when we have to have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities,” the spokesperson said.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 9 issued a statement as well. President Brian Steel said that “municipal officers do not enforce federal civil immigration law,” but added that officers have “an absolute duty to assist our federal law enforcement partners where there is evidence of a criminal offense, valid judicial warrant, or when any officer — local, state, or federal — is in danger of serious bodily harm.”

Dorans said the intent behind limiting cooperation between Columbus police and federal immigration authorities is to maintain trust between officers and residents.

“We don’t want our officers who have done a lot of work to earn the trust of this community to see that trust go away because of the actions of bad actors,” he said.

In addition to the restrictions on police cooperation, the council approved three other ordinances.

One makes harassment, stalking, or obstruction at schools and daycares a first-degree misdemeanor.

“Folks should face a higher penalty for trying to prevent and harass people for just trying to get their kids to school,” Dorans said.

Two additional ordinances require a special use permit for the establishment of any new detention center facilities within city limits and place limits on how federal immigration officials may use city-owned property, including parking lots and vacant lots.

The council also passed a resolution urging federal immigration officers to refrain from wearing face coverings during operations and to clearly display their names and badges.

Barroso de Padilla characterized the legislative effort as an assertion of local authority.

“What we are trying to do is say in our city we do have the jurisdiction under the Tenth Amendment to decide how we want to interact with those federal policies and this is what we have chosen,” she said.

Because the measures were adopted as emergency ordinances, they will take effect once signed by Mayor Andrew Ginther.

The mayor has 10 days to sign the legislation.

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