Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose gave a big thumbs up to the executive order, saying it would give states stronger access to citizenship data. His office is still reviewing the order to see how it applies to Ohio.
Voters advocacy groups say noncitizenship voting is rare and measures demanded in the order could create barriers for eligible voters — including married women whose last names differ from what’s on their documentation.
How latest federal action is affecting our region
• WPAFB traffic: Following federal directives to return to the office, traffic has increased on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base by thousands of vehicles daily. The 88th Civil Engineer Group Traffic Planning Team is inviting base personnel to talk about the transportation situation through meetings slated for the next few weeks. The region’s military base has also created a webpage that aims to offer the latest in changes to base gates and traffic patterns.
• Museums and libraries: Several local libraries, museums and other educational institutions in Southwest Ohio have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funding in recent years through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which is one independent government agency cited in a Trump administration executive order calling for their dismantling “to the maximum extent of the law.” Museums also were included in another Trump order this week: one directive targets funding for programs that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology” at the Smithsonian Institution.
Springfield Haitians: Springfield city officials say they don’t have a clear direction or instructions on what to do when federal immigration protections for many Haitian migrants lapse this year. The Department of Homeland Security said it will revoke legal protections for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who arrived through an immigration program called parole and were given two-year permits to live and work in the U.S. They will lose their legal status on April 24. Additionally, Haitian immigrants in Springfield and other places on Temporary Protected Status will see that designation expire this August, instead of in February 2026 as originally scheduled.
ICE detention: Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones reopened his jail to house U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees this month. Jones is sending 14 staffers to federal ICE training — free of charge for the county — to help deport undocumented immigrants. Jones said the facility can handle roughly 400 ICE detainees, and 10 deputies will be on patrol with another four processing paperwork in the jail. Meanwhile Jones announced Friday that two men doing construction work for a contractor at the jail were arrested for being in the country illegally.
WilmerHale: The Trump administration on Thursday issued an executive order directing his attorney general and director of national intelligence to suspend security clearances for WilmerHale, a law firm with a Dayton presence and the former employer of Robert S. Mueller. Mueller conducted an investigation of the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Trump called the investigation a “rigged witch hunt” and a “Russian Witch Hunt Hoax.” WilmerHale’s local office is located in Miami Twp. and employs more than 200 workers.
Other federal updates
Postal Service: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy resigned this week. President Trump and Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency, have suggested that the mail service could be privatized. Unions representing postal workers across the country have staged demonstrations against this idea.
Tariffs and the auto industry: Trump said he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports. His administration claims this will encourage automakers to develop new factories in the U.S. Automakers fear the tax hike starting in April means higher costs and lower sales.
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