Ohio has sanctuary cities, though the state does not use that label officially and no Ohio statute defines the term. Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton all operate under policies that limit how much local employees and police cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. None of these policies stop federal agents from working inside city limits, and all three cities are now under pressure from both the Ohio legislature and the federal government to change course.
What a Sanctuary City Actually Is in Ohio
“Sanctuary city” is a political label, not a legal category. It does not appear in the Ohio Revised Code or in federal law. In practice, it describes a city that has adopted a policy restricting how its employees and police officers assist federal immigration authorities.
The common thread across these policies is narrow and specific. Local police do not proactively investigate someone’s immigration status. Local jails do not automatically hold people past their release date because federal immigration agents have asked them to. City employees do not ask about immigration status during routine interactions. Cities that adopt these rules argue that local tax revenue should pay for local services, and that immigrant residents are more willing to report crimes and cooperate with police when they are not afraid of being funneled into deportation proceedings.
Ohio cities can adopt these policies because of the home rule powers in Article XVIII of the Ohio Constitution, which give municipalities authority over local self-government and local police regulations that do not conflict with general state law.1Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Municipal Home Rule – Members Brief
The Three Ohio Cities with Sanctuary Policies
Columbus
Columbus has the strongest policy of the three. In 2017, Mayor Andrew Ginther signed Executive Order 2017-01, which bars city departments and employees from using city money, equipment, or personnel to detect or apprehend people based solely on suspected immigration status. The order also prohibits city employees from asking about immigration status unless a warrant exists, a criminal violation was reported, or an arrest was made.2City of Columbus. Executive Order 2017-01 Reinforcing and Expanding City Immigration Policy for All Columbus Residents The Columbus City Council later codified the executive order into local law. As of mid-2025, the mayor’s office confirmed the order remains in effect.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati’s city council passed a sanctuary city resolution in 2017 by a 6-2 vote, declaring the city a “welcoming and inclusive city for all immigrants to live, work or visit.” The resolution is largely symbolic. It expresses the council’s intent rather than imposing binding operational restrictions on police, though it signals to city departments that local resources should not be directed at federal immigration work. Cincinnati appeared on the federal government’s 2025 list of sanctuary jurisdictions, and Mayor Aftab Pureval said the city has “consistently complied with what is on the books” under federal law.
Dayton
Dayton has never called itself a sanctuary city. In 2011, the city commission unanimously adopted the “Welcome Dayton” plan, which focuses on integrating immigrants through economic development, education, and trust between police and immigrant residents.3City of Dayton. Welcome Dayton In 2017, Dayton became the first city in the country to be designated “Certified Welcoming” by the national nonprofit Welcoming America. The policies accomplish much of what sanctuary designations do elsewhere, including limiting local police from taking on federal immigration duties. The Dayton Police Department has also partnered with legal aid groups to help undocumented crime victims apply for U-visas, which protect people who report crimes.4City of Dayton. Areas of Focus
What These Policies Mean Day to Day
If you live in Columbus, Cincinnati, or Dayton, local police will not stop you to ask for immigration papers. If you call 911, report a crime, or walk into a city office for a permit or a utility question, employees are not going to ask where you were born or check your immigration status. Parks, libraries, water service, and trash collection are available to every resident.
These policies do not block information sharing in every situation. Federal law under 8 U.S.C. ยง 1373 prohibits local governments from stopping their employees from sharing a person’s citizenship or immigration status with federal immigration authorities when asked.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 U.S. Code 1373 – Communication Between Government Agencies and the Immigration and Naturalization Service Courts have read that statute narrowly, limiting it to legal status information rather than booking records, release dates, or contact details.6Congress.gov. Sanctuary Jurisdictions: Legal Overview Ohio’s sanctuary cities generally comply with Section 1373 while declining to go further.
Where Sanctuary Status Does Not Reach
A sanctuary policy covers city employees. It does not cover federal agents, federal buildings, airports, or other federally controlled property inside the city. ICE can and does conduct enforcement operations in sanctuary cities. Local police simply are not helping.
County sheriffs run the jails, and they often operate separately from city policy. When someone is booked into a county jail, federal databases may flag them for ICE. ICE then sends a detainer, formally known as Form I-247A, asking the jail to hold the person for up to 48 hours past their release date so federal agents can pick them up.7U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration Detainers ICE itself acknowledges that detainers “don’t impose any obligations on law enforcement agencies,” and many sanctuary-aligned departments decline to honor them without a judicial warrant.
Several Ohio counties go the opposite direction and participate in the federal 287(g) program, which deputizes local officers to carry out certain immigration enforcement functions under ICE supervision. Ohio counties currently in 287(g) include Butler, Clermont, Lake, Portage, Seneca, Warren, and Fayette, along with several smaller police departments.8U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Delegation of Immigration Authority Section 287(g) Immigration and Nationality Act The level of immigration enforcement you encounter in Ohio depends heavily on which county you are in, not just which city.
In January 2025, the federal government rescinded ICE’s longstanding sensitive locations policy, which had generally kept enforcement away from schools, churches, and hospitals. Those decisions now sit with individual field office supervisors, so residents of sanctuary cities can no longer treat those places as informal safe zones.
Schools Are Protected Regardless of City Policy
Public schools in Ohio cannot deny enrollment based on a student’s immigration status. The U.S. Supreme Court decided this in Plyler v. Doe, which held that a state law denying education funding for undocumented children violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.9Justia U.S. Supreme Court. Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982) Schools may ask for proof of residency within a district, but they cannot ask about citizenship or immigration status when a child enrolls. Student records are also protected from release without parental consent except in narrow circumstances. This protection applies in every Ohio district, whether the surrounding city has a sanctuary policy or not.
State and Federal Efforts to End Sanctuary Policies
Ohio lawmakers have tried repeatedly to force local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The latest attempt is House Bill 26 in the 136th General Assembly, officially named the Protecting Ohio Communities Act. The bill would require state and local authorities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and would reduce state funding for jurisdictions that refuse, including changes to how state tax revenue is distributed.10Ohio Legislature. House Bill 26 – 136th General Assembly An earlier version, House Bill 169 in the 133rd General Assembly, never became law.11Ohio Legislature. House Bill 169 HB 26 has not been enacted as of this writing.
Federal pressure escalated in April 2025, when President Trump signed the executive order “Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens,” directing the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to publish a list of sanctuary jurisdictions and to identify federal funds that could be suspended or terminated.12The White House. Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens The Department of Homeland Security published its initial list in August 2025, naming more than 30 cities, states, and counties. Cincinnati was on it, and Columbus’s executive order drew federal attention as well. Courts have historically blocked broad attempts to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities, so the practical consequences of being named remain uncertain.
For now, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton continue to operate as they have since 2017, with Dayton’s policies going back further. If the Protecting Ohio Communities Act becomes law, or if federal funding cuts hold up in court, the picture could change quickly.