Ohio’s Franklin Township Police Department, with the aid of federal law enforcement partners, apprehended “three violent illegal immigrants” last month, including a member of Tren de Aragua.
In addition to the Tren de Aragua member, one of the people arrested “was wanted for running through an apartment complex with a shotgun and was found in possession of narcotics,” the department said in a Facebook post. “This individual was also linked to a previous shooting incident in the same complex.
“The third individual led officers on a high-speed pursuit, during which an unrestrained 3-year-old child was discovered in the backseat of his vehicle, unbeknownst to the officers,” the department added. “After fleeing on foot, he evaded capture for nearly an hour before being apprehended. It was later revealed that he had fled Ohio months earlier after abducting a 3-year-old child and had similarly led officers on a high-speed chase in another state.”
JUST IN: Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio has adopted emergency rules restricting immigration enforcement from operating on their grounds.
More woke courts protecting illegals over American citizens. pic.twitter.com/uaBi5GMkCv
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 3, 2025
According to a department Facebook post, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation helped with last month’s arrests.
“We are incredibly grateful for the collaboration and efforts of our federal agencies in making our community safer,” the department said in its post. “All three illegal immigrants are now in custody and are facing proceedings before an immigration judge.”
The arrests come amid a renewed focus on immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump.
Ohio lawmakers have jumped on the issue, introducing measures related to undocumented migrants in the state.
One measure, House Bill 26, the Protecting Ohio Communities Act, would defund jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The measure mandates all “political subdivisions” to comply with federal immigration laws, including participating in programs to share arrestee information with the feds and honor federal detainer requests.
Another measure, House Bill 42, would require various state agencies, including the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and the Ohio Department of Medicaid, to collect and report data regarding the citizenship status of individuals they encounter. It would also apply to law enforcement agencies, including municipal police, county sheriff’s offices, and the state highway patrol.
“For the past few years, the illegal immigration crisis has worsened to levels we have never seen before,” state Rep. Josh Williams, R-Sylvania Township, said in prepared sponsor testimony to the House Government Oversight Committee. “With record numbers of illegal border crossings occurring, it has become clear that our government must act. As President Trump begins his second term and expands the federal government’s focus on illegal immigration, the State of Ohio must do our part to combat this crisis and align with federal mandates.
“This data, compiled in a report and sent to the Attorney General’s office, will provide a clear data set and depict the current landscape of illegal immigration in Ohio,” Williams added. “Once these reports are complete, they will be sent to the Governor’s office and ultimately presented to the General Assembly. This process, occurring yearly, will assist the General Assembly in lawmaking and policy efforts to curb illegal immigration and the effect it has on state funds and resources. Additionally, it will show temporal trends in the number of individuals in the state that are unlawfully present in the United States and the effect that legislation has on this number.”
State Rep. Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, said the “legislation will place no restriction on any Ohioan who is currently enrolled in any of these programs or receives these benefits.”
“The citizens of Ohio have a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent,” Fischer said in prepared sponsor testimony. “This bill allows us to take a step forward in painting the full picture of where our public funds are going.”
