The Community Response Hub supports efforts to defend communities at risk of deportation and detention in Central Ohio.
The Hub does this through advocacy and mobilizing ally organizations and community members. In the spirit of working in coalition, the Hub coordinates diverse groups, working across different communities and issues, and uses diverse methods.
Our mission includes holding decision makers accountable, including government and enforcement agencies.
As temperatures rise, let’s continue to de-ICE! Below are this week’s actions, events, and resources to add to your toolkit:
Take Action / Rise Up:
Updated! Support Springfield’s Haitian Community
Keep the pressure on! Get ICE out of Franklin County Municipal Court!
Ohio Bills Legislative Guide, Ohioans Against Extremism
Events and Training:
February 12, 5:30PM, Neighbors United, CRIS at Mozart’s Cafe
New this week! February 12, 6:30PM, Protecting Our Neighbors: An ICE Awareness Workshop, Columbus 50501
New this week! February 12, 7:00PM, Resist and Reimagine: Lessons on fighting authoritarianism from Minnesota, People’s Action
New this week! February 13, 12:00PM, Stop the Cruelty Rally, Indivisible Central Ohio
New this week! February 16, all day, ICE OUT: Así se ve la comunidad fundraiser (This is what community looks like), Natalie’s Grandview
New this week! February 21, 10:00AM, The People’s State of Our Schools, Columbus Education Justice Coalition
Several dates in February: Community Defense and ICE Watch Training, States at the Core
Resources:
(links below)
Assistance:
Families in Need Pantry
Our Helpers Free Store
FILA, Universal Unitarian Church: Funds to help with legal assistance
Hotlines:
CRIS: The FAMILIA Hotline
Ohio Immigrant Hotline, Ohio Immigrant Alliance: Report ICE abuses, and other resources
Anti-ICE resources:
Central Ohio Anti-ICE guide
ICE Watch Resources
Policy and legal resources:
4th Amendment Workplaces video for employers
CRIS Legal Resources
Human Service Chamber of Franklin County, What to Know: ICE in Columbus
Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Know Your Rights
Immigrant Connections, Resources for educators
City of Columbus: Know Your Rights
In the News:
New this week! “Welcome the Wretched book argues for separating immigration from criminal justice system”, WBUR
New this week! ”Ohio House Democrats introduce bills to regulate ICE presence in Ohio”, Ohio Capital Journal (You can also read about it on OIA’s blog)
TAKE ACTION!
Support Springfield’s Immigrant Community
Ohio Immigrant Alliance reminds us that protection of the Haitian community is not over, but warns that in the continued watch, only those who have been trained by G92 and Springfield Neighbors United should come to the city in support of the community. Be in touch with the Ohio Immigrant Alliance or the Haitian Community Help and Support Center for information about trainings.to connect to Springfield events or check out this list of resources compiled by our allies in Springfield.
Keep the pressure on!
Get ICE Out of Franklin County Municipal Court!
Asian American Midwest Progressives Ohio
The pressure is on to get ICE out of the Franklin County Municipal Courts - even the Columbus Dispatch is covering the progress! The courts have proven to be a place of arrests in Franklin County, with up to 20 arrests reported. Write or call the judges of the Franklin County Municipal Court and tell them to ban ICE from our Municipal Court! AAMP Ohio has created an email and phone template as well as a directory of all the Franklin County municipal judges. Let’s keep the pressure on them to ban ICE from the courts like the Court of Common Pleas already has. Common Cause Ohio has united with AAMP Ohio to share their template and info for the judges here or find the original template here.
Ohio Bills Legislative Guide
“Let’s not let Ohio become the testing ground for government overreach” – A January blog post by Ohioans Against Extremism provides context for a dangerous set of bills in the Ohio legislature that will reinforce dangerous federal ICE practices with new state laws. Here are some bills they’ve highlighted. Take action now!
HB 26 — “Protecting Ohio Communities Act” (Sponsor: Josh Williams) requires law enforcement agencies to cooperate and participate with federal immigration enforcement, shifting the cost of enforcing federal immigration law entirely onto counties and municipalities.
HB 42 — Mandatory citizenship data collection (Sponsors: Tex Fisher & Josh Williams) forces agencies, schools, and publicly funded organizations to collect and report citizenship data. School districts with large populations of immigrant students and programs serving lower-income Ohioans will be targeted.
HB 200 — “America First Act” (Sponsors: Gary Click & Nick Santucci) mandates full state and local cooperation with ICE and expands the use of Ohio jails and prisons for immigration detention.
HB 281 — Hospitals as immigration enforcers (Sponsor: Josh Williams) requires hospital and mental health facility employees—and even contractors—to actively assist ICE and provide all legally permissible information.
HB 282 — Immigration status in sentencing and bail (Sponsor: Josh Williams) forces judges to consider immigration status when setting bail, sentencing, or community control sanctions.
SB 172 — Suspicion-based arrest authority (Sponsor: Kristina Roegner) authorizes any agency to arrest people anywhere in Ohio based on suspicion of unlawful presence. (A “papers, please” bill)
SB 188 — Criminalizing protest posture (Sponsor: Tom Patton) criminalizes “taking a position in a location that prevents immediate access” for law enforcement.
See OAE’s legislative guide for a complete list of bills and action items.
Find your elected representative for the state here!
Find your state senator here!
EVENTS and TRAINING
Neighbors United
Community Refugee and Immigrant Services (CRIS)
Thurs. Feb. 12, 5:30-7:30pm
Mozart’s Cafe, 4784 N High St
Join CRIS on Thursday, February 12th, at Mozart’s Café for an evening of reflection, hope, and action. Come hear the latest on immigration and refugee resettlement as we spotlight the people and partnerships that continue to make welcome possible in our community. We will look honestly at the moment we are in and the actions we can take to make it better.
Whether you are a long-time friend of CRIS or new to our work and mission, please join us! No ticket or RSVP is required, but we’d love for you to RSVP to our Facebook event to know we’ll see you there!
Protecting Our Neighbors: An ICE Awareness Workshop
Columbus 50501 and Westerville Progressive Alliance
Thurs. Feb. 12, 6:30-8:30pm
First Congregational Church, 444 E Broad St
Join Columbus 50501 as they present on a number of topics, such as identifying ICE, know your rights, whistle kits, community resources, and more. This workshop is open to Columbus and surrounding suburbs/counties. They will also be collecting non-perishable food items for organizations helping immigrants with groceries. Learn more here.
Resist and Reimagine: Lessons on fighting authoritarianism from Minnesota
People’s Action and other community groups
Thurs. Feb. 12, 7:00pm
Virtual
Organizers and community members in Minnesota are transforming crisis into action and tragedy into solidarity. Join this community conversation for a conversation with labor and community leaders from Minnesota. They’ll share practical lessons for fellow organizers on organizing in the midst of crisis, rapid response, economic solidarity actions, and how Minnesota’s experience can help other communities prepare to protect each other. Register here.
Stop the Cruelty: Westerville Rally
Indivisible Central Ohio
Fri. Feb. 13, 12:00-1:00pm
675 Brooksedge Blvd, Westerville
Stop the Cruelty: Westerville protest is at 675 Brooksedge Blvd, which iis the Westerville ICE office. The nearest parking is at the Kroger strip mall on Schrock Rd. We also have a group that goes down to the intersection of Schrock and Brooksedge after picking up their signs. (We also have a Columbus protest at 395 East Broad from 4:30-5:30 pm every second Monday. We mostly use street parking.) Learn more and sign up here.
ICE OUT: Así se ve la comunidad
Natalie’s Grandview
Mon. Feb. 16, all day
945 King Ave, Grandview
Come listen to great music and support an excellent cause at Natalie’s Grandview. On Monday, February 16th, they will be hosting an all-day fundraiser, with 100% of proceeds donated to Corazón Deshilado, CRIS, and Our Helpers — organizations doing vital work to support our immigrant neighbors.
We hope you’ll join us for a day rooted in community and a celebration of South American culture. It’s been incredibly inspiring to see so many small businesses stand together, standing up against hate and responding with love. Huge shout-out to all the coffee shops, bars, and musicians pouring their time, tips, and energy into this cause. We’re staying loud out here!
The People’s State of Our Schools
Columbus Education Justice Coalition
Sat. Feb. 21, 10:00-7:30pm
The Maroon, 867 Mt. Vernon Ave.
Even after we ABOLISH ICE there will always be a need for community relationships with our schools. Schools are the heart of our neighborhoods. Join us for The People's State of Our Schools to see the impacts that school closings have made on our schools and learn about how the community schools model can transform our schools & neighborhoods - making the intentional connections like the ones that we have been working on here.
Community Defense and ICE Watch Training
States at the Core
Several dates in February
Virtual
Get trained in the ICE Watch non-violent techniques of documenting injustice and protecting yourself and others from harm. Find a time slot with States at the Core that fits into your schedule and register for upcoming trainings here.
RESOURCES
Assistance:
Families in Need Pantry
‘Families in Need’ at 5187 North High Street in Columbus offers food and household items every day, 7:00 am to 6:00 pm on Monday through Friday, and 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. The pantry is asking for donations of food and supplies; items can be dropped off during hours of operation.
Community Free Store
Our Helpers
Our Helpers’ Community Free Store is open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:00am-2:00pm. They offer dry food pantry staples so no family goes hungry, as well as housewares, diapers, hygiene kits, and household supplies. Call (614)733-9555 for information, or visit the Our Helpers webpage.
Fund for Immigration Legal Assistance (FILA)
Universal Unitarian Church
When a loved one is taken by ICE, legal assistance is needed - and that can be expensive. The Universal Unitarian Church has established a fund to help with this cost. Learn more about the Fund for Immigration Legal Assistance (FILA), which provides direct assistance to immigrants in Central Ohio in need of help.
Beneficiaries of the fund are residents of Central Ohio, with preference given to parent(s) of underage children, and young persons who fit within the DACA age guidelines.
Hotlines:
FAMILIA Hotline
Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS)
If your family member or loved one is currently detained by ICE, CRIS may be able to help locate your loved one and connect you with trusted resources. Learn about the FAMILIA Hotline (Family Aid for Members in need of Legal Immigration Assistance) here. The hotline is monitored Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Calls received outside of these hours may leave a message and will be returned as soon as possible.
Ohio Immigrant Hotline
Ohio Immigrant Alliance
If you or your loved one experiences racial profiling or abuse by the Border Patrol, ICE, state and local law enforcement, or anyone else, report abuse here or call 419-777-HELP (4357). Protect your community.
Learn about the Ohio Immigrant Hotline and share it on social media, using this toolkit. Donate to support the hotline’s operations at https://bit.ly/DonateOIA.
Anti-ICE resources:
Central Ohio Anti-ICE Guide
A highly localized source of information in response to threat. This document provides information on what we know is happening, how we are responding, what people should do if they hear ICE is at a location, and how they can support our efforts. Our hope is that we can all be helpful in some way, whether by reporting ICE activity, attending protests, or stepping up to help with groceries.
Help Central Ohio Build Its Coordinated Rapid Response!
Get all your friends to sign up to receive our weekly newsletter: bit.ly/ResponseHubCentralOhio
Ensure your organization has a representative on the Community Response Hub Leaders Signal Group so that we can respond effectively to any ICE activity here.
The Community Response Hub of Central Ohio coordinates rapid response to ICE activity, supports immigrant families, and connects community members to legal and mutual aid resources.