Rep. Tim Ryan criticized the conduct of ICE

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan again criticized the conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Ryan of Howland, D-13th, sent a letter Wednesday to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen regarding raids by ICE at Corso’s Flower and Garden Centers in Sandusky and Castalia, Ohio – where 200 officers detained 114 people last week.

“I’m deeply concerned about the use of aggressive force and disruptive manner in which ICE forcibly detained 114 individuals. No person should be deported without full due process or separated from their children and families,” said Ryan of Howland, D-13th.

“We are a welcoming nation, a compassionate nation, an understanding nation – ripping these families apart is contrary to who we are as a nation. These raids have scarred our communities and left people feeling hurt, scared and confused. I urge Secretary Nielsen and the Department of Homeland Security to put these families first and keep them together.”

Ryan was also critical of ICE in January when downtown Youngstown businessman Amir “Al” Adi Othman was deported to his native country of Jordan after living in the United States for 39 years.

“In a highly irregular rebuke of congressional authority by ICE, Amer Othman was ripped from his four daughters, his wife and the country that he has called home for over 30 years,” Ryan said Jan. 29. “Amer was a pillar of the community and brought commerce to a downtown that craved investment. He hired members of our community. He paid taxes. He did everything right. There are violent criminals walking the streets, yet our government wasted our precious resources incarcerating him.”