BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, Ohio — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is on a nationwide hunt for office space, and one Northeast Ohio village is on its radar.
Brooklyn Heights is among nearly 100 locations where ICE could expand its footprint.
Federal records show ICE wants funding for a private office or co-working space for 12 months, serving more than 300 full-time employees at 90 locations across the country, including two in Ohio.
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One Ohio location on the list is Westerville near Columbus, and the second is the village of Brooklyn Heights on the west side of Cleveland.
Last month, ICE agents were deployed to airports across the country, including Cleveland Hopkins International, to help TSA.
The move came months after federal agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis, sparking mass protests.
News 5 Investigators have spoken with several people who don’t want ICE to increase its presence in Northeast Ohio, whether through technology or in person.
"We’ve gotten a bunch of calls about ICE at the airports; people are very unhappy about that," said Lynn Tramonte, who runs the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, a nonprofit working to change immigration laws. "We don’t need an expansion of ICE in Cleveland; what we need is Congress to stop funding the agency."
News 5 Investigators first heard about possible expansion plans while researching a different story.
It came up at a Shaker Heights city council meeting, where people spoke out against police surveillance cameras.
News 5 Investigators reached out to ICE with questions.
ICE responded via email that stated, in part: "Is it really news that when a federal agency hires more personnel that they need more space?"
The email went on to say ICE has an additional 12,000 officers and agents on the ground nationwide.
But the agency would not confirm office locations, citing an increase in death threats.
“Is it news? Well, if the public wants to know about it, it is news,” Tramonte said.
Brooklyn Heights has been home to an ICE field office on Keynote Circle since 2015.
Mayor Mike Procuk said that the process didn’t happen quietly at the municipal offices.
“This hall filled for every meeting. People were concerned,” Mayor Procuk said.
We asked the mayor about the concerns that were raised back then.
“They were concerned about rumors started, 'it’s a jail,' 'they’re going to have to put signs on 480 that bisects our community,' you know, 'watch out for escapees and stuff.' It ran the gamut,” Procuk said.
Tramonte said the field office is where immigrants check in.
“This isn’t a holding place, they’re not running up and down the streets of Brooklyn Heights that I’m aware of,” Procuk said.
Procuk didn’t know about ICE's new office space search.
“I was kind of surprised. I was kind of hoping you’d tell me what you knew,” Procuk said.
But Procuk said that he wouldn’t know unless zoning approvals are needed.
“They don’t need Brooklyn Heights’ blessing; business is business,” Procuk said.
A few buildings near the ICE field office have space for lease.
We reached out to several property owners and real estate brokerages that are marketing office space in Brooklyn Heights, but we did not hear back from any of them.
The deadline for ICE's responses to a request for information was March 31.
Procuk said he hasn’t received any phone calls, emails or letters about this.
He, along with council members, says that they've had no issues or complaints with the ICE field office in Brooklyn Heights.
