Our political coverage this week includes a behind-the-scenes look at Butler County Jail, which has served as an ICE holding center since February, stories on high-profile court cases, and much more.
I’ll have that and everything else to know from the past week below.
As always, I’m more than happy to take questions, tips, or concerns. I can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @AveryKreemer.
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Inside the Butler County Jail, southwest Ohio’s ICE holding facility
• The story: Our reporter Michael D. Pitman takes readers behind-the-scenes in the Butler County Jail, the state’s highest-profile holding center for detainees of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
• Origins: Since February, U.S. taxpayers have been paying Butler County $68 per ICE detainee per day, plus $36 an hour for transportation provided by county corrections officers or deputies. Since then, business has boomed, often filling up more than half of the jail’s 860-bed capacity.
• Who’s there?: Most of the inmates held under the ICE contract aren’t facing violent criminal charges. This news outlet analyzed the jail roster on July 10. Of the 384 inmates detained for ICE that day, fewer than 8% had any charges other than immigration law violations. Other charges that were listed ranged from traffic violations to drug charges, domestic violence, assault, theft and non-ICE-related federal holds.
• Perspectives: This news outlet recently toured the jail, and talked to local leaders and critics about the facility on Hanover Street in Hamilton becoming a controversial regional centerpiece in the ongoing debate over immigration enforcement.
Montgomery County public defenders file class action lawsuit against county, cite ‘vast disparities’ in pay
• The story: Employees of the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office (MCPDO) filed a class action lawsuit against the county for its alleged failure to pay public defenders on par with county prosecutors, as mandated by state code.
• The allegation: In the filing, an attorney representing employees of the MCPDO alleges a history of “gross and unlawful compensation disparities between the Public Defender’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office in Montgomery County, Ohio.”
• Relevant code: The allegation is largely based on a rule in the Ohio Administrative Code that says the “supporting staff, facilities, equipment, supplies, and other requirements needed to maintain and operate an office of a ... county public defender ... shall be substantially equivalent to that provided for the county prosecutor’s office.”
• Showing their work: A chart included in the plaintiff’s filing shows the following total bonus breakdown for each office over recent years: In 2024, $1.4 million in bonuses were awarded within the county prosecutor’s office, compared to $318,518 for public defenders and staff. In 2023, it was $1.8 million to $171,960; in 2022 it was $1.5 million to $707,034; in 2021 it was $814,776 to $199,048; and in 2020 it was $1.1 million to $59,540.
• Defendants: The lawsuit lists the MCPDO as a defendant, along with the Public Defender Commission of Montgomery County, which oversees the office politically; and the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, which makes budgeting decisions that affect the office. None of the relevant groups immediately returned a request for comment.
• Citizen oversight: Members of the Montgomery County Jail Coalition delivered a petition with more than 2,000 signatures this week calling to form a permanent, independent civilian oversight body for the county jail, following several inmate deaths in recent years. Sydney Dawes has the story.
• All aboard?: Nearly 50 years after the departure of passenger trains connecting Ohio’s major cities, an Amtrak plan to connect Ohio’s major cities through passenger rail could be gaining traction. Sydney Dawes has the story.
• Group homes: Newly proposed municipal zoning regulations would place a limit on foster care group homes in Dayton, a community that hosts more group homes than any other city in the state. These proposals would restrict new group homes in west and northwest Dayton. Cornelius Frolik has the story.
State political news of the week
• Records threat: A recent Ohio Supreme Court case stemming out of Montgomery County threatens to drastically limit Ohioans’ access to public records after the high court determined a public official’s private messages are not subject to public records law, even if those messages pertain to public business. Here’s my story.
• Primary feud: State Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp., announced he will run for a local Ohio Senate seat, officially setting up a contest between himself and Rep. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria, whom Plummer testified against in a state criminal investigation that led to no charges. Here’s my story.
• New state record: A defense-focused manufacturer is poised to get $310 million in development incentives through JobsOhio, more money than any other company has received from the state. Thomas Gnau has the story.
National political news of the week
• SNAP changes: Thousands of Ohio’s 1.5 million food assistance recipients could lose eligibility for food assistance, with others seeing a possible reduction in their benefits, over the next few years under the new federal budget. Sydney Dawes has the story.
• Not ours, please: Three Republican congressmen are urging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth not to strip Wright-Patterson Air Force Base of its four-star command status, as Hegseth and the Trump administration move to make sweeping cuts to military top brass. Here’s London Bishop.
• A blow to public media: The Senate has passed about $9 billion in federal spending cuts requested by President Donald Trump, including deep reductions to public broadcasting and foreign aid, moving forward on one of the president’s top priorities despite concerns from several Republican senators. The Associated Press has the story.
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