GRATIS, OHIO — Officers from the Gratis Police Department arrived unannounced at three Cincinnati-area schools, identifying themselves as acting on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct wellness checks. The visits to Western Hills University High School, Rees E. Price Academy and Roberts Academy resulted in the resignation of one officer, the placement of the police chief on leave, and the cancellation of the township's 287(g) agreement with ICE.

School officials denied the officers entry. Officer Jeff Baylor resigned following the incident, and Gratis Police Chief Tonina Lamanna was placed on leave. The township subsequently canceled its 287(g) agreement.

Gratis, Ohio sits approximately an hour's drive from Cincinnati. ICE confirmed it was aware of the officers' actions in visiting the schools. The agency has maintained that it does not conduct enforcement operations at schools or target children. The attempt to access schools for wellness checks while identifying as acting on behalf of ICE was not aligned with ICE policy or the typical scope of a 287(g) agreement.

ICE is a component of the Department of Homeland Security. Its Enforcement and Removal Operations officers are tasked with finding and apprehending individuals in the country illegally. Local law enforcement agencies can support ICE informally through assistance in joint operations, or formally through programs like 287(g), which allow designated local officers to perform limited immigration enforcement duties.

287(g) agreements tie duties to individuals already in custody, such as maintaining detention or assisting with warrants until ICE can assume custody. The agreements do not grant local officers full federal authority or allow them to operate independently as ICE agents. In practice, they let local agencies assist by holding individuals already in custody until ICE can assume control, giving the agency time to respond when an individual may be in the country illegally but would otherwise be released for an underlying offense.