Ohio jails have increasingly served as holding facilities for migrants detained by ICE under contracts with local sheriffs, with records showing a significant expansion of detention capacity statewide during 2024–2025. Several counties, including Butler, Mahoning, Geauga, and Seneca, signed or renewed intergovernmental service agreements with ICE, and data obtained by reporters showed that a majority of ICE detainees held at some facilities had no pending criminal charges or prior convictions. The WLWT report examined detention records to document the scope of local jail involvement in federal immigration enforcement.

Read more: Behind bars and beyond scrutiny: Ohio jails deny migrant detention records