Immigration Information

A message from the City Manager

February 12, 2026

In recognition of the heightened concerns that we’ve heard from residents following the national news stories involving Federal ICE incidents in larger cities, the Mayor and City Council, City Administration, and Police Department want to reassure Kent residents that public safety will always be our top priority.  

The volatile politics of immigration has been stressful, and we want to offer assurances that the City of Kent Police are trained in preserving public safety and protecting people.  Kent Police are not legally authorized to participate in detaining immigrants or serving as an extension of the staff for ICE agents engaged in immigration enforcement. 

Kent’s police officers work hard to earn residents’ trust with their lives and that won’t change if ICE agents show up in Kent.  If ICE agents determine that they have a need to be in Kent, Kent Police will look out for the public safety of immigrants, ICE Officers, protestors, and everyone else in our community because that’s what they are trained to do.

It’s not possible to forecast if ICE agents will have a reason to be in Kent, or if protests will become unsafe, but the Kent Police Department plans for and are prepared to respond to unpredictable risks to public safety in all its forms -- including the kinds of escalating tensions that have been witnessed during ICE operations in larger cites. 

The lessons learned from Kent’s history, and Kent’s status as one of the best college towns in Ohio, has made de-escalation and crisis intervention foundational principles for protecting public safety in Kent. These are skills Kent Police train on, practice on, and are evaluated on every year so they are ready to put them to use the moment they are needed.    

With so much uncertainty in these times, fear can be destabilizing and misinformation can spin out of control and incite panic.  We’ve heard social media reports of ICE agents in the area that were all false, but those rumors felt very real to some members of our community, so we urge everyone to reach out to the Police Department or the Community Engagement Office to discuss the latest round of concerns for appropriate fact checking before unnecessarily raising anxiety on social media. 

Kent is proud to be a small town which means public safety officers are only a phone call away and they can be at your front door to help in under 5 minutes – but it takes a call not a post on social media to secure your safety. 

Please don’t hesitate to call for help and request Police assistance out of fear of immigration status.  Kent Police services are not dependent on citizenship so you can call Kent Police knowing that everyone will be treated with respect and given personal attention to their safety -- everyone.     

For any immediate safety emergencies, you should always call 911.  For non-urgent safety concerns or questions, the City recommends calling non-emergency Police line at (330) 673-7732. 

In 2022, City Council created a new position of ‘Community Engagement Coordinator’ and Dominique Bollenbacher was hired for that position in 2023.  The position was created to be a local resource on all things Kent, with an emphasis on advocating and assisting underrepresented groups access city and community resources.

Dom is a great ambassador of the City and she works hard to be a one-stop resource on City and community matters that may require sensitivity and confidentiality, like immigration status, so please reach out to her if you’d like to learn more or pass along concerns at (330) 750-7550 or email: Dominque.Bollenbacher@KentOhio.gov. 

We like to think of Dom as the City HELP-LINE that has access to a wide range of City and community resources, including employees with training and experience working with residents, families, and children who have been victims or are in high-risk safety environments that require extra confidentiality and attention to ensure their protection. 

It is a privilege to be asked to protect public safety in our community, but please understand that the City cannot legally interfere or prevent ICE agents from working in Kent – but we promise to be there to ensure the safety of everyone involved if that day ever comes.