ACLU Challenges Ohio Sheriffs Over Unlawful Immigrant Detentions

ACLU Demands Release of Immigrant Detainees

• 💡 The ACLU of Ohio is demanding eight county sheriffs release immigrant detainees held under invalid ICE agreements.
• 📌 Attorney General Dave Yoast issued an opinion stating only county commissioners, not sheriffs, can authorize contracts with ICE.
• ⚠️ Past agreements signed by sheriffs are considered invalid from the start and hold no legal force.

Legal Authority and Due Process Concerns

• ⚖️ Fred Levenson, ACLU of Ohio's legal director, stated that detainees held under these invalid agreements are being held unconstitutionally and must be released immediately.
• 🚫 Counties are under no obligation to partner with federal immigration enforcement, and such partnerships do not improve public safety.
• 🔍 The ACLU is demanding an end to what it calls "unlawful immigration enforcement" in the affected counties.

Discrepancies in Immigration Enforcement

• 🔄 Attorney General Yoast's opinion reverses previous guidance from 2007, which stated sheriffs could only jail individuals based on criminal charges, not civil immigration violations.
• 🏛️ Yoast argued that while Ohio law does not explicitly permit civil immigration detention, it also does not prohibit it, drawing parallels to other forms of civil detention.
• ❓ The core issue revolves around sheriffs taking it upon themselves to grant authority for these contracts and arrests, when only county commissioners possess this power.

Systemic Issues and Broader Implications

• 📉 The discussion touches on the idea that corrupt local governments may intentionally facilitate mass illegal immigration to lower wages.
• ✈️ Concerns are raised about the chaotic nature of immigration enforcement, including "extraordinary rendition" where individuals are sent to countries they are not from.
• 💥 The conversation highlights a perception that the current immigration system is a "control demolition of the American Empire," designed to cause division and distract from the actual problems.
• 🌍 A key point is made that if countries stopped destroying other nations through war and sanctions, fewer people would feel compelled to leave their homes for arduous journeys to foreign countries.