Democratic Ohio Governor Candidate Amy Acton Vows to Cooperate with ICE
Columbus, Ohio — Ohio’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee on Tuesday pledged to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts, breaking with her party and continuing her efforts to capture the moderate lane in a state Donald Trump won two years ago.
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Facing criticism over previous comments disparaging Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Acton held a press conference Tuesday to tout the endorsement of the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (OPBA), a police union in the state.
“I absolutely adore first responders,” Acton said. “I’m honored to be endorsed by so many because they know that I’m going to stand up for the work they do. Public safety and community safety is a top issue for all Ohioans, and we all deserve to feel safe.”
Asked whether her support for law enforcement extended to ICE, Acton said she would cooperate with the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, distancing herself from Democratic mayors and governors who have refused to honor ICE detainer requests.
“I’ve worked with five different governors in different capacities over the course of my career,” Acton told National Review. “We always work with the federal law enforcement, and we will do so — whatever it takes to keep Ohioans safe.”
Tuesday’s announcement helps Acton, who headed the state’s health department under its Republican governor, run as a moderate in a red-state gubernatorial race that could go either way. Although Ohio has reliably gone to Republicans in recent years, polls show Acton in a dead heat with her GOP opponent Vivek Ramaswamy.
During her campaign, Acton has repeatedly broken with her party. At the beginning of the year, she said that “if people are here illegally, we need to enforce the laws of this country and the laws of the state of Ohio.” Later, she voiced support for Medicaid work requirements and a ballot initiative that would enshrine the state’s voter ID requirement into its constitution. She has also said that she does not “support boys playing in girls sports” and pledged to enforce the state’s law that prohibits biological males from competing in women’s sports.
The OPBA has a record of endorsing both Democrats and Republicans for statewide races. It backed Republican Governor Mike DeWine for reelection in 2022 after it endorsed his Democratic opponent in 2018. This week, the group also endorsed Democratic former Senator Sherrod Brown in his bid to win back his seat.
Ramaswamy, meanwhile, has the endorsement of the state’s chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.
OPBA’s endorsement could help Acton make headway on the issue of public safety, where public opinion polls tend to show voters siding with the GOP.
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Pew polling from late last year had voters trusting Republicans over Democrats on addressing crime by 17 points, and YouGov surveys from 2024 consistently showed voters trusting Trump more than Kamala Harris on crime.
The endorsement also distances Acton from those in her party who wish to cut police funding. Although the popularity of the “defund the police” movement waned following the summer of 2020, it has cropped up again this cycle with some progressive Democratic candidates having issued past support for such policy goals.
At her Tuesday presser, Acton promised to keep police departments liquid.
“People of Ohio deserve to feel safe, and they deserve the professionalism and the training, and that’s why I’ll be fighting to fully fund our public safety officers,” she said.
Rolled into the issue of public safety is that of border security and immigration enforcement. Joe Biden’s failures on that front were a major reason why Trump prevailed two years ago, but the aggressive enforcement techniques the White House has deployed since Trump took office have proven to be unpopular. That has given Democrats some cover on the issue, as some blue states have prohibited local police from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement officers, but Acton said she would not do so if she is elected.
At the same time, Acton indicated she would make demands of the federal government with regard to officers’ conduct.
“We are a state of laws,” she said. “We have very high expectations for what it means to be a public safety officer, and that’s why I fight so hard to make sure we have that, so that every Ohioan can feel safe and secure.”
Meanwhile, Republicans have attacked Acton for a comment she made during the primary comparing immigration officers to the Ku Klux Klan.
“There are people coming out there wearing masks with all the gear on. We don’t even know who they are,” she said during a June 2025 event. “They’re just showing up. Does this not feel like the Ku Klux Klan to anyone?”
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Acton alleged on Tuesday that the comment was being taken out of context.
