GRATIS, Ohio — The Gratis officer who visited multiple Cincinnati public schools for alleged ICE "wellness checks" alongside the department's chief has submitted his resignation, a village spokesperson confirmed.
Cincinnati Public Schools last week announced that Gratis Police Chief Tonina Lamanna and Officer Jeffrey Baylor went to three westside schools, claiming to do wellness checks on students on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Superintendent Shauna Murphy said the two out-of-town officers did not present any warrants or paperwork, and staff did not allow any interaction with students, asking them to leave.
The Village of Gratis, in response to the news, released a statement saying officials do not condone the two officers' actions, noting "It is not the practice or policy of the Village to participate in law enforcement operations outside of our jurisdiction, particularly those occurring two counties away."
Lamanna and Baylor were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into their actions. However, a village spokesperson said Baylor has since submitted his resignation.
Watch: What we know about the alleged ICE visits to Cincinnati schools
Baylor's resignation has not yet been approved by the council, which will discuss the submission at its next meeting on Thursday.
There has been no update on Lamanna, who previously worked for the Dayton Police Department, from which she was fired in 2017 in relation to disciplinary issues that occurred after she filed a civil lawsuit against the city for gender discrimination.
The Gratis Police Department does have a 287(g) agreement that authorizes its officers to perform designated immigration enforcement functions on behalf of ICE.
We reached out to ICE, which said the visits to CPS schools were not an "enforcement action" and said Lamanna is a law enforcement partner who "attempted to verify school enrollment and conduct welfare checks on children who arrived unaccompanied across the border."
