Cleveland is not a formal sanctuary city but limits CPD cooperation with ICE detainers absent a judicial warrant under a 2017 policy. Mayor Bibb reaffirmed the stance in 2022, balancing trust-building with the DOJ consent decree on community policing.
Cleveland Division of Police General Police Order 2.1.05, adopted in 2017 under Mayor Frank Jackson and reaffirmed by Mayor Justin Bibb in 2022, instructs officers not to honor ICE administrative detainers unsupported by a judicial warrant signed by an Article III judge. CPD also does not ask about immigration status during routine stops. Cleveland avoids the sanctuary label, which would risk Ohio HB 169 retaliation and complicate the DOJ 2015 consent decree compliance, but functionally limits cooperation. Cuyahoga County Sheriff and ICE field office relations remain pragmatic for serious felonies only.
No civilian penalty applies. Officers violating GPO 2.1.05 face internal discipline. Federal challenges under 8 USC §1373 to similar policies have produced mixed Sixth Circuit rulings.
See how Cleveland's sanctuary policy preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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