Soliman, a local imam, has been in the Butler County Jail since July 9. He was granted asylum in the United States in 2018, but that status was revoked in December 2024.
Jones, a six-term sheriff, said his only responsibility is to the people of Butler County, and he will refuse any request from DeWine if he orders Soliman’s release.
“It is my sworn duty to protect this community and to uphold the law — including federal immigration law," said Jones. “I do not pick and choose which laws to enforce, I do not fear the governor. I would fear compromising the safety of the citizens I serve.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office also weighed in on ICE detention in Butler County, stating in an opinion that Jones is within his legal rights to house ICE detainees long-term in the county jail who have only been civilly charged.
What’s happening in Southwest Ohio?
• Veterans: Staffing shortages at Veterans Health Administration facilities nationally rose 50% in the last fiscal year. VHA facilities reported a total of 4,434 “severe” occupational staffing shortages nationally. Staffing shortages at the VA Dayton Medical Center include clinical medical officers in the fields of urology, surgery, cardiovascular diseases, radiology, medical oncology and other medical areas, a recent inspector general’s report indicated.
• Intel: The federal government agreed to a 10% stake in Intel, a stake said to be worth $8.9 billion, in one of the largest government steps of its kind in American history. Decades ago, Dayton’s congressman, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, took moves to block exactly this kind of intervention. “Congressman Turner’s position has not changed,” a spokeswoman for Turner said when asked about his current stance on government intervention of private companies.
• Town halls: U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, spoke at a rare town hall Wednesday. While Davidson had supporters, a majority of the packed crowd at Edgewood Middle School in St. Clair Twp. responded to questions Davidson answered with boos, laughter and shouting. Questions answered included topics like property taxes; AI and privacy; Medicaid; size of government; National Guard deployment in U.S. cities; and The Big Beautiful Bill, which Davidson called “imperfect.”
• National Guard: As armed National Guard troops, some from Ohio, patrol the nation’s capital as part of an unprecedented federal takeover of Washington’s police department, handling crime is now a relative strength for President Donald Trump, according to a survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Defense officials have told national news outlets that some troops have been directed to carry guns into some missions in D.C. Trump says his next targets for federal intervention may be two Democratic-led cities: Chicago and Baltimore.
• Voting by mail: Trump says more changes to the way elections are conducted in the U.S. could be on their way, specifically singling out voting by mail and voting machines. In Ohio, more than 1 million voters cast their ballots by mail in the November 2024 presidential election. But based on the Constitution, there is little Trump can do on his own, legal experts are saying.
Other federal updates:
• Flag burning: Trump this week signed an executive order challenging a 1989 Supreme Court decision that protects flag burning as free speech. The order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to prioritize enforcing laws against flag-burning incidents that “violate applicable, content-neutral laws, while causing harm unrelated to expression, consistent with the First Amendment,” also urging Bondi to “vigorously prosecute those who violate our laws in ways that involve desecrating the American Flag.” The executive order is an effort to push the issue back toward the Supreme Court, which now holds a 6-3 conservative majority.
• Minnesota school shooting: A shooter opened fire with a rifle through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis and struck children celebrating Mass during the first week of school, killing two and wounding 17 people in an act of violence the police chief called “absolutely incomprehensible.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the violence “horrific” in a post on X. On Truth Social, President Donald Trump said he was briefed on the shooting and ordered that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff at the White House and other government buildings. The White House later said Trump spoke with Walz, who was the vice presidential nominee against Trump’s running mate.
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