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'There's a lot of fear' | Migrant communities in Tri-State on edge as federal immigration enforcement ramps up

Village of Lockland
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LOCKLAND, Ohio — With grease stains on his jeans and a wrench in his hand, Vincent Wilson is attempting to realign a bicycle tire. The bike will most likely end up in the hands of a Mauritanian migrant, one of thousands who have come to the Village of Lockland since March 2023.

"There's a lot of fear in the community and a lot of anxiety in the community," Wilson said.

Thousands of asylum seekers from Mauritania — an Islamic country in West Africa — have been migrating to the U.S. in recent years. More than 8,500 found their way to Ohio between March and June 2023, many of whom live in the Cincinnati area, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

We've spoken with Lockland leaders who said an estimated 3,000 West African migrants have come to their village, which has overwhelmed their resources and emergency services as the area only spans 1.2 miles between neighboring Reading and Wyoming.

With President Donald Trump's administration moving swiftly on several immigration-related executive orders, many local groups and those who provide aid to them in the Tri-State area are on edge.

Despite this latest crackdown, Wilson and others have vowed to continue to help those they believe are asylum seekers.

Wilson has helped dozens of Mauritanian migrants learn English, obtain bikes for transportation and find work since an influx of the West African natives came to the area a little over a year ago.

"He gave me a first bike — someone stole it. He gave me a second bike, and somebody stole it," said Khalidou Sy, a Mauritanian migrant now living in Lockland. "So he gave me a third bike with a lock."

Sy fled from Mauritania almost 10 months ago with his wife and 2-year-old son. Many like him are asylum-seekers escaping persecution. But now aiding Sy and others will have its hurdles.

RELATED | 'You only have hope' | Hundreds of Mauritanians seeking asylum find refuge within Lockland bike shop

Wilson says the bike shop is usually busier. But in recent weeks that's changed.

"It's hard to really know which came first," Wilson said. "And it's probably both — it's cold, and I can get nabbed by ICE."

As deportations and ICE raids across major cities are making headlines, advocates and immigration attorneys are working so migrants know their options. WCPO reached out to immigration attorneys in the Greater Cincinnati area, and they say enforcement locally right now is unchanged.

They said the system is backlogged and requires funding to process credible asylum claims. Migrants unsure of their status or paperwork should consult local immigration attorneys or advocates.

"Speaking as someone who's listened to their stories," said Wilson. "They have a very valid reason case for asylum that if allowed to play out in the courts and if allowed to go through the full asylum-seeking process, I do believe they'd be granted asylum."

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