(From the ACLU of Ohio)
The ACLU of Ohio filed a lawsuit asking the Supreme Court of Ohio to order the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office to comply with Ohio’s public records laws and release documents and communications pertaining to its contractual arrangements with Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies to carry out federal immigration functions.
The ACLU of Ohio took similar action against Geauga County in May and that lawsuit is ongoing.
The ACLU of Ohio filed this mandamus action on behalf of its Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer Jocelyn Rosnick, who, on March 12, 2025 requested Seneca County to produce contracts and related memorandums with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE, and/or the U.S. Marshalls Service . On April 4, the Sheriff’s Office responded that ICE contracts are “federal records subjects to the Federal Records Act (FRA) and thus not subject to disclosure under state law.”
“The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office has a clear legal duty to provide the requested information. The Sheriff’s Office has never denied that they possess such records, and there is no provision in Ohio Public Records Law that exempts them from the obligation to produce these records. Nor do the federal statutes cited by the Sheriff’s Office exempt them from disclosure. The public has a right to this information. Local law enforcement must be accountable; it cannot shroud itself in secrecy,” added Freda Levenson, Legal Director for the ACLU of Ohio.
“The ACLU of Ohio is deeply committed to protecting immigrants’ rights and our organization serves as a watchdog for government transparency and accountability. Ohio counties like Seneca and Geauga cannot hide behind federal immigration officials to avoid its obligations under Ohio law. Our lawful demands for timely and accurate information must not be ignored,” added Jocelyn Rosnick, Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer.
The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office has failed to fulfill its clear legal duty by refusing to provide requested public records that fall cleanly under Ohio Public Records Laws. The ACLU of Ohio urges the Supreme Court of Ohio to issue a writ of mandamus compelling the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Fredrick Stevens to promptly provide the records requested.