Overview
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin visited the Warren County Sheriff’s Office on Friday to spotlight the county’s participation in the federal 287(g) program and to urge more local agencies to sign on.
- Mullin said federal agents have made about 380 immigration arrests in Springfield and vowed the enforcement push will continue as a way to deter crime and encourage migrants to leave voluntarily.
- He defended the use of GPS ankle monitors and said the government has offered incentives such as $3,000 and a plane ticket to prompt voluntary returns for some migrants.
- Mullin addressed the suicide of 20‑year‑old Haitian student Pierre Damas Bel by saying DHS and ICE followed procedures and that Bel was not in federal custody when he died, while local Haitian leaders and supporters have raised concerns about monitoring and bullying.
- The 287(g) program allows three local partnership models and is dividing officials and communities in Ohio because some counties participate and city police refuse, creating oversight questions about jurisdiction, school checks, and the local impact of expanded federal enforcement.