The Franklin County, Ohio Municipal Court decided they’d cosplay as lawmakers and issued a ruling that federal law enforcement would be barred from making immigration arrests at or near the courthouse unless they have a judicial warrant. I’m not a lawyer, but that sure sounds like overreach to me — and the U.S. Department of Justice agrees.
The county boasts the second-largest Somali population in the U.S., second only to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
The DOJ is suing the court, saying that the rule unlawfully interferes with the feds and, as seems to be the norm these days with activist judges and Democrat politicians, actively works to kneecap efforts to hold illegal aliens to account.
The DOJ posted to social media Tuesday explaining that it's actions like these that continue to put agents at risk:
As is true in all types of law enforcement, conducting an arrest at or near a courthouse often reduces the risk of flight and potential safety risks to the public, law enforcement officers, and subjects themselves due to the enhanced security screenings in place at courthouses.… pic.twitter.com/9efBs2UgeE
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) August 25, 2026
As is true in all types of law enforcement, conducting an arrest at or near a courthouse often reduces the risk of flight and potential safety risks to the public, law enforcement officers, and subjects themselves due to the enhanced security screenings in place at courthouses. Franklin County Municipal Court’s rule runs counter to common sense and endangers the broader community by attempting to eliminate safe places for law enforcement officers to act.
“Today the Department sued yet another local entity that seeks to thwart the will of Congress by regulating when and where Federal law enforcement does its job, all in the name of protecting criminal aliens who violate our Nation’s laws,” said @ASGWoodward. “No more. This Department of Justice will not sit idly by while state and local government seek to undermine federal immigration enforcement.”
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The DOJ said in a statement posted to their website that the rule is an obvious attempt to shield illegal aliens:
“This type of rule obstructs federal law enforcement and facilitates evasion of federal law by dangerous criminal aliens, despite Congress’s direction that federal agents detain and remove them,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Throughout the country, and including in this courthouse specifically, federal agents have routinely and safely conducted arrests. The Department of Justice is committed to protecting that important federal prerogative.”
It seems that not a day goes by that we don’t see leftist politicians (looking at you, VA Gov. Abigail Spanberger), activist judges, and George Soros-backed district attorneys attempting to thwart the federal government. What makes it all the more pernicious is that they are blocking the will of the American people, who voted for this administration in large part because they wanted to see real action on illegal immigration after Joe Biden opened the floodgates.
If Franklin County is allowed to get away with this, what’s next? “Actually, you can’t make immigration arrests anywhere in our county?”
Let’s just hope that Judge James Boasberg doesn’t somehow try to get involved. We know how that would turn out.
Editor’s Note: We voted for mass deportations, not mass amnesty. Help us continue to fight back against those trying to go against the will of the American people.
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