The Fight

Youngstown has become a major ICE detention and deportation hub, with two facilities holding approximately 500 ICE detainees and the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport serving as the 7th busiest deportation flight hub in the country. Community groups including the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown have organized opposition, with approximately 100 protesters demonstrating in April 2025.

Key Details

• April 2025: ~100 protesters at Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office opposing ICE contract
• LWVGY statement: Formal opposition to local ICE detention
• Community concerns: Due process violations, family separation, airport deportation flights visible to community
• Airport activity: 202 ICE flights through Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, Feb-Jul 2025 (7th nationally)
• State Rep. Rader: Condemned ICE raids in Northeast Ohio as “shameful attack on our community”
• WKYC “Hidden Hub” investigation (May 7, 2026): Mahoning County Jail booked 2,572 ICE detainees Apr 2025–Apr 2026 (avg ~221/month; stays ranged from ~5 hours to 200+ days). Sheriff Jerry Greene confirmed the jail is paid $125/night per detainee under a ~two-decade-old federal contract, generating ~$8M in 2025 with ~$10M projected for 2026. 3News independently verified 1,000+ ICE flights in/out of Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport over the same window (6th-highest in the U.S. in 2025).
• Airport construction / flight rerouting (2026): Youngstown-Warren runway repaving (shortened to 6,500 ft, through summer 2026) pushed many ICE deportation flights to nearby Akron-Canton Airport.
• Week of action (May 23–30, 2026): NEOCC + Mahoning County Justice Center named among the six interfaith vigil sites; campaign concluded with no contract concession.
• Outcome: Despite opposition, operations have expanded; both facilities operational and combined capacity growing. Mahoning sits in the Sixth Circuit, which ruled FOR § 1226(a) bond hearings in Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft (May 11, 2026) — the live legal lever for detainees held here; no Ohio habeas releases applying it surfaced as of June 2, 2026. See bond-hearing-circuit-split-2026.

Sources

• 3News Investigates: The Hidden Hub — ICE in Northeast Ohio - WKYC (May 7, 2026)
• ICE deportation flights rerouted to Akron-Canton during Youngstown Airport construction - WKYC
• Protesters blast ICE contract with Mahoning County jail - The Vindicator (Apr 2025)
• LWVGY Statement on Local ICE Detention
• Rep. Rader Condemns ICE Raids in Northeast Ohio - Ohio House
• Youngstown, Ohio, residents express concern, support for ICE - WKBN