Standing Against ICE Terror
ICE is moving into Ohio, bringing violence and disruption and threatening valued members of our community. Here’s how we’re protecting each other and standing up for American values.
Practical Ways to Protect Our Neighbors
Tap into these organized efforts:
Are you interested in becoming a Constitutional Observer of ICE activities? Contact us (ahead.oh@gmail.com) for more information about trainings in our area.
In Lima, Connecting Borders provides resources and support to immigrants and their families. Contact them to get involved https://connectingborders.net/
Let’s also support the Springfield, Ohio community under attack. This graphic shows the best ways to help. Our country is watching: See New York Times article (2/2/26)
Rallies and Vigils to Raise Awareness
Rallies and vigils are happening throughout NW Ohio — in Findlay, Lima, Bluffton, Bellefontaine, and more. These events are another way to show solidarity and protect our future.
Find out about upcoming rallies by contacting your local Democratic Party or activist organization. These include the Allen County Democratic Party, the Hardin County Democratic Party, People Protecting the Constitution (Findlay) and AHEAD.
Recent Rallies and Vigils
In Bluffton, almost 50 people gathered on the Bluffton University campus Monday Feb 2 for a vigil for immigrant communities. The group included both students and community members, who shared stories, prayers, fears and songs by candlelight in the snow. Several attendees had just returned from the remarkable gathering of clergy in Springfield. Names of eight people killed by ICE in 2026 were read, along with a few lines about their circumstances. The event was organized by the Bluffton University P.E.A.C.E. club.
In Lima, the Allen County Democratic Party hosted a vigil for Alex Pretti and others killed by ICE.
The Lima News described the event:
Lima vigil urges end to immigration violence
By David Trinko -January 31, 2026
LIMA — People gathered at a Saturday candelight vigil in Lima for protesters killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota lifted their battery-powered candles high, urgeing people to remain vigilant so that it doesn’t happen here.
“It is a political gathering, but it’s more about healing and being with people who are feeling the same thing that you’re feeling when you wake up every day,” said Alice Donahue, the secretary of the Allen County Democratic Party, which welcomed more than 80 people into its Allentown Road headquarters for the vigil. “Every day is a whole new hell that we wake up to. We are here because of Minneapolis, just because of the timing, but we’re here for everybody and all the violence throughout history against people.”
The candles shook in mourning as people listened to speakers and sang along with songs, such as John Lennon’s “Imagine,” inspiring them to protect their fellow man in a standing-room only event.
Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old intensive care nurse for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who was shot and killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 24. Renee Good, 37, died Jan. 7 after being shot by an ICE agent. Posters with their pictures sat alongside a lectern urging people to “honor them all.”
“Usually I’d say don’t worry about and don’t focus on how they died, but in this situation, we do because they’re doing something for somebody else,” said Pastor Tracy Cross, of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lima. “They’re giving their life. They’re laying down their life unknowingly, by helping someone, by protesting, by being there for them.”
The incident felt particularly personal to some speakers, noting the possibility of immigration enforcement coming to Lima following the end of temporary protected status for a Haitian population estimated to be as large as 5,000 people that fled dangerous conditions in that island nation. Their status is expected to expire on Wednesday, although a U.S. District Court judge’s ruling Monday could affect that deportation.
“They love Lima because the people have been good to them,” said Sue Savinsky, who said she teaches English to non-English speakers, including many who fled Haiti. “… I get so angry when people say, ‘Well, they should have come here the right way.’ They did.”
[Keep reading the article: https://www.limaohio.com/top-stories/2026/01/31/lima-vigil-urges-end-to-immigration-violence/]
We Stand Together
From the Allen County Democrats newsletter: “Progress is rarely quick or easy; it’s built through courage, patience, and persistence. Hope isn’t about pretending everything is fine—it’s about trusting that our actions still have impact. When we continue to show up with empathy and resolve, we help create space for better days ahead.”
IF NOT US, THEN WHO? IF NOT NOW THEN WHEN? — JOHN LEWIS
AHEAD 