Ohio to See More ICE Agents as Federal Surge Targets “Sanctuary” Cities

The Department of Homeland Security is ramping up immigration enforcement in Ohio, sending ten new ICE agents to its Westerville and Brooklyn Heights field offices as part of a nationwide surge adding 330 personnel across over 40 states and Puerto Rico. This staffing increase comes on the heels of a $170 billion DHS budget allocation from the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which aims to expand immigration enforcement through 2029, including doubling ICE’s workforce from 10,000 to 22,000 agents earlier this year.

Federal purchasing records obtained by USA Today reveal that these new hires will be assigned to co-working office spaces rather than detention centers, underscoring a strategy focused on ramping up field operations. The Ohio surge follows a December 2025 enforcement blitz dubbed “Operation Buckeye,” where ICE arrested 240 people in Columbus—less than 7 percent of whom had criminal records, despite ICE’s claims of targeting “the worst of the worst criminals.”

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and White House border czar Tom Homan have made clear that the agency’s approach is shifting toward more aggressive, widespread enforcement, especially targeting cities with policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration agents. Homan has explicitly warned that cities refusing to assist ICE will face a “flood” of agents, a threat that has materialized with this deployment surge.

Mullin acknowledged the agency’s intent to keep a lower profile following leadership changes, stating that DHS wants to avoid media harassment of agents while maintaining or increasing enforcement activity. DHS officials justified the surge by claiming that when local law enforcement bars cooperation, ICE must increase its visible presence to apprehend those they label criminals released back into communities.

This expansion of ICE personnel in Ohio and nationwide signals a troubling escalation in aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, disproportionately impacting immigrant communities and sanctuary cities. It continues a pattern of weaponizing federal resources to undermine local policies aimed at protecting civil rights and due process.

The surge raises urgent questions about oversight, accountability, and the human cost of expanding a for-profit immigration enforcement apparatus that has long been criticized for abuses, inhumane detention conditions, and family separations. As ICE doubles down on its mission with new funding and personnel, communities must stay vigilant against escalating authoritarian overreach disguised as law enforcement.

For more details, see the original reporting by Danae King and Trevor Hughes at The Columbus Dispatch.