A lawsuit filed against the Geauga County Sheriff's Office regarding public records related to detaining immigrants will be heard by the state’s high court.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio filed lawsuits against the sheriff’s offices in Geauga and Seneca counties in May and August, respectively. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the suit against Geauga County can move forward.
“It's important to understand the government works for us. Public records belong to the public. We're only asking for records that we're entitled clearly to receive,” said Freda Levenson, the ACLU of Ohio’s chief legal officer.
The ACLU of Ohio requested documents regarding contracts and communication with U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement.
“Specifically, we want to know how the government is detaining immigrants, the location, the conditions, the cost, the numbers. We've heard of appalling conditions in these facilities. We have humanitarian concerns, legal concerns, financial concerns,” Levenson said. “Taxpayers, residents of Seneca County have a right to know how their law enforcement officers are being deployed, how their facilities are being utilized, how the money is being spent.”
Six jails in Ohio currently serve as detention centers for ICE, including the Geauga County Safety Center and the Seneca County Jail, both of which are managed by the sheriff’s offices.
The other four jails in Ohio that hold ICE detainees are the Butler County Sheriff’s Office in Hamilton, the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio in Stryker, the Mahoning County Justice Center and the Northeast Ohio Correctional Facility in Youngstown.
In line with the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on immigration and increase ICE enforcement, five sheriff’s offices in Ohio have signed 287(g) contracts with ICE — agreements that allow local law enforcement to take on some federal immigration enforcement duties.
The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office entered 287(g) contracts in February. Sheriff’s offices in Butler, Fayette, Lake and Portage counties also have 287(g) contracts.
“The ACLU of Ohio is committed to protecting immigrants' rights,” Levenson said. “We also are committed to being a watchdog for government transparency and accountability.”
The Geauga County Sheriff's Office declined to comment. The Seneca County Sheriff's Office has not responded to a request for comment.
