County Fight Preemptive-Defense

East Cleveland OH — First-of-its-kind GTFO anti-ICE ordinance

Cuyahoga, OH

Current status: East Cleveland passed emergency GTFO ordinance in February 2026, first of its kind in Ohio

The Fight

East Cleveland (part of the greater Cuyahoga County/Cleveland area) passed an emergency ordinance called “GTFO” (Giving the Families Options) in February 2026, the first local law of its kind in Ohio restricting cooperation with ICE. While Cuyahoga County itself does not contract with ICE for detention, 351 people were arrested by immigration agents in the Cleveland area between January 20 and October 15, 2025, and ICE raids were conducted in Lakewood and western Cleveland.

Key Details

Passed: February 2026
Name: “GTFO” — Giving the Families Options
Significance: First ICE-restrictive ordinance in Ohio
Context: Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb was in an “immigration hot seat” over city’s response; CMSD (school district) developed protocols for responding to ICE
Cuyahoga County position: County Executive Chris Ronayne reaffirmed county jail does not contract with ICE
ICE arrests in Cleveland: 351 people arrested Jan 20 - Oct 15, 2025
Broader movement: Part of a wave of Ohio cities rethinking ICE cooperation, including Columbus passing measures to block 287(g) agreements and moratorium on detention facilities

Sources

This research is published at The RAMM — investigative reporting on the detention pipeline.

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