Fear is spreading through Ohio’s immigrant communities even without the direct presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the state, and Today in Ohio podcast hosts say they hope Americans finally stand up to bring a halt to the government-sponsored abuse.
Reporter Lucas Daprile talked to representatives from various immigrant communities who described a climate of terror fueled by news of enforcement actions elsewhere in the country.
“Jasmin Santana, the first Latina elected to city council in Cleveland, said that there’s shockwaves through the Hispanic and Latino community in Cleveland,” said podcast host Laura Johnston. “She said ICE is not going to care if I’m an immigrant or not. If I fit the profile as a Latino, I could be taken.”
The podcast hosts condemned ICE actions and the politicians defending them, in an episode that followed the ICE killing of a second defenseless, peaceful protester. When discussing statements from Republican officials justifying the operations, Chris Quinn directly challenged state Senator Jerry Cirino’s characterization of those targeted by ICE as rapists and murderers.
“But stop right there. That’s just a lie. There are no rapists and murderers. There’s 5 year olds in bunny hats. He’s a liar. That’s just a flat out lie,” Quinn said.
The conversation took a particularly intense turn when Leila Atassi flipped the narrative on who should be labeled as threatening public safety.
“The government is trying to call these victims domestic terrorists, when it’s ICE that are the domestic terrorists that are causing this kind of fear to pervade everywhere in America. That is the definition of terrorism,” Atassi stated.
The hosts emphasized that the fear itself is a form of terrorism, even without ICE physically operating in Ohio communities. The psychological impact of seeing enforcement actions in other states, combined with the secretive nature of immigration proceedings, creates an environment where entire communities live in constant anxiety.
“That’s the terror right there, when mass federal agents operate with this vague authority and this escalating force and no accountability, and everyone becomes, in their mind, targets,” Atassi added.
Quinn said cleveland.com and Plain Dealer reporters will continue tp demand answers from the Ohio congressional delegation on why they do nothing.
“Look at (Rep.)Dave Joyce,” Quinn said. That guy was a prosecutor for years. He knows right from wrong and he knows what we saw this weekend was absolutely illegal. The people that shot that guy should be arrested and charged with murder. It’s flat out murder. Where is Dave Joyce? Silent, cowardly, standing silent, not standing up for the rights of Americans. We know Husted and Moreno will never do the right thing. They are complete toadies to Donald Trump. But we kind of think of people like Dave Joyce as having some sense of right from wrong. Where is he?”
Johnston highlighted another concerning aspect: the lack of transparency in immigration enforcement. “Look, can we remind people that this doesn’t go through the regular court system. It’s not like it’s a public record… Immigration court is its own branch of government protected by the executive branch. And this is very, very secretive.”
Listen to the discussion here.
Listen to full “Today in Ohio” episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura Johnston.
