In September 2025, Amir arrived at the immigration office for his regularly scheduled ICE check-in.?

In 1996, he legally immigrated to the United States, where he stayed under asylum for the past 30 years. In 2003, his asylum was denied, but he was given the ability to stay in the country under supervision, which he was told would not be stripped unless he was deemed a flight risk or threat to his community.?

Hours later, his family grew concerned as they waited for him to return home. After a period of frantic silence, they were told he had been detained by ICE and would be held in a facility indefinitely.???

“My dad has been here paying taxes, taking care of his kids, and taking care of his family,” said his daughter, Fatima. “He has not committed a single crime since he has been here. There was no reason to arrest him at all.”?

Since his immigration, he has complied with ICE restrictions and has attended all regularly scheduled check-ins, Fatima said.?

“They allowed him to stay under supervision. That supervision is not supposed to be taken away unless you are a flight risk or you are a threat to your community. My dad was neither of those,” she said. “They decided to arrest him illegally, and they’ve been holding him ever since. He has not been deported. He has not been moved to a different facility. He has been in the same facility for almost, I want to say, almost five months now. It’s a huge waste of time. It’s a huge waste of tax dollars. It is just ridiculous, honestly. Like, that’s the only way I can explain it.”

Fatima is an alum of Ohio State and currently works for Wexner Medical Center. Amir and Fatima were granted anonymity in this story due to safety concerns.

When her dad was detained, Fatima and her family were forced to fill his shoes as the breadwinner of the household.?

“He was the one paying all of the bills and taking care of the family. With his arrest, his kids and our mom had to just step up and take over for him. We’ve just been kind of putting all of our own resources together to try to pay our bills and pay the lawyer fees and everything that this situation comes with,” Fatima said.?

The family was tasked with balancing financial demands and personal feelings as they navigated this challenge, which was conducted without due process, Fatima said.

“I don’t think ICE’s practices are fair because they have been illegally detaining multiple people. They’ve been holding people for months on end without deportation or any type of process, attacking people on the streets, and recently killing people as well–citizens of the United States,” Fatima said. “This is completely unfair and completely unwarranted. It should not be happening.”

Amir’s story is not unique. ICE arrests have escalated in recent months, both on a national scale and within the Columbus area. In one week, from Dec. 16-21, 2025, ICE detained over 280 people in Central Ohio during Operation Buckeye.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, less than 7% of arrestees during Operation Buckeye had a criminal record.

In 2025, ICE arrested over 1,400 people in the Columbus area, a 500% increase from the previous year.?

With rising ICE arrest numbers in Columbus, Ohio State students have experienced ranging emotions, with some fearfully altering their routines to avoid potential danger and others feeling frustrated with the university response.?

Chris Booker, a university spokesperson, said the university is committed to the wellbeing of students.

“It’s important to remember that Ohio State welcomes thousands of international students, visitors, faculty, and staff to its campus each year to study, teach, conduct research and improve lives in Ohio and around the world. As always, the safety and well-being of our campus community is our top priority,” Booker said in an email.

Breakdown of total amount of ICE arrests in Ohio from the past four years. Data last updated in early March, 2026

Source: U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement via the Deportation Data Project

Olivia, a third-year in international studies and Spanish who also was granted anonymity, mainly felt fear and anger when she first heard about ICE’s presence in Columbus.?

“Obviously, we’ve been hearing about what [ICE] have been doing in other states and how they’re taking people and people are never seen again or they don’t know where they’ve taken them, and even the maltreatment of the people they don’t take–they’re treating them horribly. So it’s definitely a lot of emotions that are very heavy,” Olivia said.?

Other students felt surprised that ICE was present in Columbus.?

Andrea Chacon-Ruiz, a third-year in international business and political science, said her first reaction to hearing of ICE’s presence in Columbus was “shock that it’s so close.”

“It’s literally right here. I feel like it’s one of those things where you see it on TV and you’re like ‘Oh that’s happening in Minnesota. That’s not happening here,’” she said. “No, it’s quite literally here.”

In addition to surprise, some feel upset by Columbus residents’ lack of reaction, though there have been several protests of ICE’s presence.?

“I’ve seen it around the country, but I never thought it would happen here,” said Genesis Tabora, a second-year in political science and criminology. “I was really disappointed because I’ve always thought Columbus to be a really diverse city, and even though Ohio is more of a conservative state, I thought the people from Columbus wouldn’t stand for that.”

As word of ICE’s presence in Columbus spread, multiple students reported changing their routines and taking extra precautions in fear of confrontation, regardless of immigration status.?

“I am a naturalized citizen, so I always carry a screenshot of my citizenship on my phone,” Olivia said. “It’s hard to have that reality, but you never want anything to happen. You just have to cover your bases, and sometimes even that doesn’t help.”?

Regardless of citizenship status, people still fear for their safety because of previous ICE reactions, Chacon-Ruiz said.?

“We’ve seen the amount of brute force that ICE has used, not just against criminals, quote-unquote, that they are targeting, but also against U.S. citizens as well,” Chacon-Ruiz said. “The murders of Alex Peretti and Renee Good, those are just two examples of extreme and unjust force that has been used by immigration and customs enforcement.”

Recent ICE and immigration enforcement actions, including the killing of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, have raised concerns nationally regarding ICE conduct.?

When asked for an interview to discuss student’s concerns and possible future plans for ICE presence in Columbus, the response was short and incomplete.

“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country including in Columbus. We do not discuss future or potential operations,” the Department of Homeland Security said in an email.

Additionally, the email included images of multiple arrested individuals in the Columbus area labeled as illegal aliens and public safety threats.

There is still fear and confusion surrounding ICE and DHS activities, especially in Columbus, Tabora said.?

“I definitely feel less safe than I did before,” Tabora said. “I mean, they’ve shot a white American. How am I, as a brown Latina immigrant, supposed to feel safe moving around Columbus when I know they’re just racially profiling people who look and speak like me?”

In addition to citizenship status, some students carry around passports and alternate documentation in case of confrontation.?

“My family, specifically my dad, has really wanted to be cautious about what is going on with ICE so we have a copy of our passport in our car, whenever we go out. My mom also has pictures of her and my dad’s important papers on her phone just in case she were to be questioned by somebody. We’ve also had family discussions about what we would do if confronted by ICE,” Chacon-Ruiz said.?

Students are adjusting day-to-day functions, including shopping and driving, to avoid law enforcement interaction.?

“Even in daily life, now, I feel like I have to be more aware of where I’m going, especially once you get into off-campus area or around it,” Olivia said. “They’ve been in a lot of places where you just typically go that you don’t really think about. It’s starting to be like ‘Let me look at where people have been seeing them and if they’re around here.’”?

This has negatively impacted many immigrant-owned businesses in Columbus and across the nation, which have seen less frequent business as ICE presence rises.?

“People are scared to go places. You see people at less and less of these places [Hispanic-owned businesses] because they’re scared to go outside because what advice is there? That unfortunately will affect small businesses and people’s wellbeing, so I feel like that’s one of the bigger tolls it will take on the community,” Olivia said.?

Some students are also choosing to forgo celebratory occasions for safety concerns.?

“I’ve seen posts on Reddit for fall graduation. I know some people who were international students decided not to go to their graduation in fear of ICE presence. So that’s definitely a change in the atmosphere here at Ohio State,” Chacon-Ruiz said.??

ICE presence has impacted how safe students feel on campus, even those with citizenship.?

“My immediate reaction is I would hope to say no [to feeling unsafe] because I am a U.S. citizen and I have every right to be here, but with how things are going, it’s very scary,” Lola Espinoza, a first-year in political science, said.?

It’s difficult to continue business as normal amidst this situation, she said.?

“I definitely think the atmosphere has changed. How can you casually go about your day when people are getting tortured and killed just for having a thicker accent or darker skin?” Espinoza said. “It’s just so sad to think that students feel the need to constantly be on edge and be unaware if whether or not, if they turn the corner, there’s going to be someone there trying to harm them or detain them or strip them away from everything they know.”

A third protestor is arrested outside the Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom on Tuesday as officers attempted to disperse protesters. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor

“It’s just a very weird timeline we’re living in right now. Everything that’s going on honestly makes it really hard to focus on school because it makes school feel less important,” Espinoza said.?

Students face difficulty maintaining the mundane routines of daily life while carrying this weight, Tabora said.?

“It’s hard to have dumb conversations or try to focus on what’s going on in class when you just saw the news of a 5-year-old getting arrested. It’s hard to ignore that and just continue your life and move on as if this is not happening, especially as part of this community,” Tabora said. “At the same time, I feel more encouraged than ever to try hard in school. I realized? that I have to do this not just for myself, but also for my community.”??

Though she has not experienced it directly, Espinoza said her peers whose families are impacted by ICE also have trouble continuing with daily functions.?

“Going to class everyday when your family’s being directly impacted and knowing maybe you’re never going to see a parent or a sibling again when you come home for break, that is so upsetting and heartbreaking. Obviously, I think that would affect anybody’s ability to learn and focus,” Espinoza said.??

Individual students aren’t the only ones concerned. ICE presence has wide-reaching effects on student wellbeing, Jessica Asante-Tutu and Kathrina Noma, president and vice president of the Ohio State Undergraduate Student Government, said in an email.?

“The presence of ICE activity in Columbus is not an abstract issue. It has direct and tangible impacts on students in our community. When students feel uncertain about their safety or ability to fully participate in everyday aspects of campus life, it disrupts not only their academic experience but also their sense of belonging at Ohio State,” they said.??

Students who spoke with The Lantern expressed frustration at Ohio State’s action and communication regarding ICE presence in the area.?

“Ohio State has truly been disappointing in this area. They haven’t really said much and especially didn’t say much about the protests that happened at the career fair. In fact, they invited ICE at this time. They wanted them as a willing participant, despite everything going on, which I think is very insulting to their Latino community and just immigrant communities in general,” Olivia said.

On Jan. 20, students protested the inclusion of U.S. Customs and Border Protection representatives at a university career fair. Three people were arrested at this protest due to violation of space standards, according to prior Lantern reporting.?

“I don’t think they have any business whatsoever being on campus. I don’t think they have any business being in Columbus at all, but to come on campus, that’s just excessive and unnecessary,” Tabora said.?

The police reaction to students’ protest at the career fair also raised concerns, Espinoza said.?

“I think it’s really disturbing that Ohio State allowed ICE to have a booth at the career fair and then allowed campus police to actively go against students’ First Amendment right to protest,” Espinoza said.?

Communication from university administration has been sparse, Chacon-Ruiz said.?

“I personally haven’t seen a statement or anything being put out by Ohio State. I will say that I am one of those people that reads all my emails and is active on social media, so this tells me one of two things: either there hasn’t been a message relayed overall that acknowledges ICE presence or that message just hasn’t been pushed enough to reach all students,” Chacon-Ruiz said.?

University Spokesperson Chris Booker said in an email the university has published several resources, including The Key Issues Page and ICE Interaction Guide.?

“This guidance has been accessible, updated, and widely shared with the campus community through university websites and targeted newsletters,” Booker said.?

Beyond official university communication, students have faced difficulty discussing this subject with their peers and professors.?

“In classrooms, whenever people bring up [ICE]–and I don’t hear it very frequently either–especially because of the new rules and stuff with SB1, it’s something I feel like people, especially professors, are kind of a little scared to talk about,” Olivia said. “It is something we should talk about because of everything that’s going on. You have to be aware of what to do in these situations and how to stand up for people affected.”?

Though students expressed disappointment with the lack of guidance from the university, they were also not surprised by the response.??

“They [Ohio State administration] have never really spoken up about anything, ever, so it’s not something I was expecting from them. It’s just the administration as a whole has not said anything or really given any support to students during this time,” Olivia said.

“I do think [Ohio State] has the responsibility. This is something that can directly impact their students. We know that Ohio State has a bunch of international students. We also know that students are visibly unhappy with what’s going on with the protests at the union, on Lane and High, at the Statehouse, et cetera,” Chacon-Ruiz said.?

Some students have called for a statement regarding the recent violence displayed by federal law enforcement.

“I feel like everyone should be stepping up right now to say something about this. Our governmental leaders, even Ohio State’s leaders, should be saying something about this, with the recent killings and escalated violence that ICE has been committing,” Fatima said.?

When asked about releasing a statement, Booker said Ohio State’s Philosophy on Institutional and Leadership Statements, which outlines that “to maintain the neutrality that assures academic freedom and freedom of speech and expression, Ohio State should refrain from taking institutional positions on complex political or global matters, events, natural disasters or tragedies that extend beyond the operations of the university itself.”?

Though Ohio State has not publicly condemned the presence of ICE in Columbus, some students feel that the university should provide adequate resources for its students to navigate this challenge.?

“One of the university’s main priorities should be to protect its students, and if communicating about this issue can do that, then I think they do have an obligation to at least keep their students informed of what’s going on,” Espinoza said.?

This lack of public acknowledgement translates as a lack of consideration, Tabora said.?

“As a minority student, as a Latino student, as an immigrant, I feel like the university just doesn’t care enough about us to step out of their comfort zone and let us know they’re going to be here for us. I feel like that’s the bare minimum that they could do, and they’re not even doing that,” Tabora said.?

The lack of resources may stem from a lack of understanding by university administration, said Chacon-Ruiz.

“I don’t think that [Ohio State] understands the extent of fear and pressures that some students may face because of ICE presence,” Chacon-Ruiz said. “If they do understand it and are still not acting on it, that would be extremely disappointing.”?

The issue directly affects many immigrant students and staff members at Ohio State, said Olivia.?

“These populations that are being targeted are still part of your student population, Especially because we have such a big group of international students, you want to make sure your students are protected and know what to do in these situations,” Olivia said. “My feeling is you would want to protect your students and you’d want them to be safe but it doesn’t really feel like the university is holding up that responsibility at all.”?

Though students understand the limited legal capabilities of the university, they still believe that a statement should be released.?

“I know that OSU, as a school, there’s really not much they can do. But I do wish they would release some kind of statement giving out resources and just telling students that, as a school, they’ll be here for us if anything were to happen,” Tabora said.?

The places that some students once sought for community in times of struggle are no longer accessible.?

On February 27, 2025, former Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. announced that the university would be ‘sunsetting’ the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in compliance with Senate Bill 1, according to prior Lantern reporting.??

“SB1 took out a lot of spaces that people come to to gather. For me personally, it took away the Latino Students Success Center, which was a huge community builder for Latino students. This is the first year we’ve gone without it,” Olivia said. “It would have been so helpful right now.”

“They also took away The Center for Belonging and Social Change. That was just another good comfort place. And I feel like, especially right now, we’re feeling how much their presence is missing and how much they would have helped had they been here,” Olivia said.

Though Ohio State administration is required to comply with federal law, students feel that the university can support their students within these restrictions.?

“Two things can be true at once, right? Ohio State can follow the law, comply with the law, on one hand, but on the other hand, they can still acknowledge what is happening and tell their students that they do care about what is happening and that they do see their students,” Chacon-Ruiz said. “Offering resources, potentially, to students who are international or maybe students who have family members that are undocumented would be a good way to still be within the law but also show their students that they care,” Chacon-Ruiz said.?

Students interviewed by the Lantern voiced concerns of ICE’s practices, deeming them unfair and aggressive.?

“It’s very clear that this [federal] administration has let them have almost free reign of how they are treating people and how they are picking people up. It is basically racial profiling,” Olivia said. “They see someone of Latino descent and be like ‘oh, they must be an illegal immigrant or undocumented,’ and so they’re just going to go straight for you.”?

This brings into question constitutional fairness, said Chacon-Ruiz.?

“The Fifth Amendment protects people, regardless of their legal status, from being detailed in inhumane conditions, and that’s something that’s been violated in large detention centers like Alligator Alcatraz and Krome,” Chacon-Ruiz said.?

Some students do not support ICE’s recent practices, but believe that ICE is necessary as long as it acts within legal bounds.?

“I think the concept of ICE is necessary and reasonable, but what we’re seeing right now and recently is not. There’s a right way to do things, and what we’re seeing right now is just angry, hateful, untrained, and unqualified individuals who are just racially profiling and hunting down whoever they see fit with no due process. No humanity, really,” Espinoza said.?

Chacon-Ruiz agreed, citing previous presidential deployments of ICE.?

“Following the law and opposing those who break it, that’s not the main issue here. Obama deported over 3 million illegal immigrants, as have other presidents. The main issue here is the hate that’s being spread. I think the division that is being created in our country is really the bigger picture here,” Chacon-Ruiz said.?

It is important to ensure that people are not racially profiled or wrongly detained, which has been an issue of recent ICE deployment, Chacon-Ruiz said.?

“The Trump campaign was really set on ‘we are going to deport criminals. We’re going to focus on criminals and rapists and predators and all these things,” Chacon-Ruiz said. “I found that over half of the people who were in ICE custody have no criminal record, so these are innocent people.”?

Protesters gathered at the intersection of Lane Avenue and High Street on Friday to protest ICE operations around the country. Credit: Faith Schneider | Arts & Life Photo Editor

ICE presence in Columbus brings about a range of emotions for students, whether directly affected or not.?

“I wish they could feel the genuine fear and sadness all of this brings and how much that weighs on your heart even if you’re not the one going through it, seeing people in your community go through these things,” Olivia said. “You’re seeing people who look like you, who have the same lifestyle as you being called names, dehumanized, and overall just being kicked to the curb like nobody cares about them. When you see that, it’s very disheartening. It also instills a fear and you’re like what if that were my family or what if that were me? So it’s just a very complicated feeling to understand.”?

Espinoza agreed, citing a lack of empathy for the increased feelings of dehumanization that much of the immigrant and minority community is feeling.?

“I think there’s a very major lack of empathy right now. I really just wish other students would stop and truly think about how they would feel if they had to fear every day that they’d be stripped away from everything they’ve ever known. I wish they would understand the fear of never seeing someone again just because of imaginary lines,” Espinoza said.?

Fatima agrees, imploring students to practice empathy during this time.?

“Try as hard as you can to put yourself in another person’s shoes, and try to understand what it would be like for you for your family to be ripped apart and you have nothing. There’s nothing you can do about it. Try to empathize with people around you because regardless of where we are, there are immigrants around us,” Fatima said.?

Immigrants are often negatively portrayed in media and rhetoric, but these narratives do not encompass the majority of the population, Fatima said.??

“There’s this whole stereotype and propaganda out about illegal aliens that are committing all these crimes and doing all these different things. That may exist, but when that becomes the main picture of what ICE is doing, it takes away from the immigrants that are being wrongly arrested and wrongly attacked,” Fatima said. “People should understand that immigrants are your classmates. They’re your neighbors. They’re the people that come deliver your mail. They are your doctors and nurses.”?

Despite expressing frustration at ICE’s presence, the increase in protests and demonstrations from the Ohio State community have elicited some hope in international and minority students, Tabora said.?

“I’ve honestly been really pleased to see just how many people, especially people who were not directly affected by this, have taken out and protested and spoken out,” Tabora said.?

ICE arrests may have slowed down in Columbus, but the impact is still being felt by people directly affected.?

Amir was released from ICE detention in March 2026, nearly seven months after he was originally arrested. Though this is a positive step, the family anticipates further challenges as they work to return to their life before he was detained.?

“We are now working on getting back to a somewhat normal life and getting him back to work,” Fatima said. ?