Operation Buckeye was a short-term ICE enforcement “surge” in Ohio from Dec. 16–21, 2025, in which ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) deployed extra officers to locate and arrest non‑citizens it labeled “criminal illegal aliens.” ICE’s stated goal was to prioritize people it said were “the worst of the worst,” meaning those with prior criminal convictions (especially for offenses like drug trafficking, assault, DUIs, robbery) and often with outstanding final orders of removal. The DHS press release describes it as a “targeted enforcement operation” across Ohio, not a random sweep, but it does not publish a detailed, formal set of selection criteria beyond focusing on removable non‑citizens with criminal records and prior removal orders.
According to ICE and DHS, many Operation Buckeye arrests were based on prior criminal convictions combined with immigration violations (being removable non‑citizens, often with final removal orders). The ICE release spotlights people with past convictions for offenses such as felony drug possession, robbery, assault, DUIs and other crimes, some of whom had already been ordered removed years earlier. However, reporting from WOSU, based on an Ohio Immigrant Alliance analysis, found that many people detained during the same time frame were being held for “civil” immigration reasons, not new criminal charges, and included people with legal status or pending cases. So the arrests were a combination of: (1) people with prior convictions and immigration violations, and (2) people arrested purely for immigration‑status reasons, with no new criminal charges reported in many cases.
DHS/ICE have not published a detailed, case‑by‑case breakdown for the more than 280 people arrested, so individual outcomes are not all known. In general, for an operation like Buckeye: • People with prior removal orders or who are found removable typically enter civil immigration proceedings (if not already ordered removed). Many are detained in ICE facilities while their cases proceed or until ICE deports them. • Some with new or pending criminal charges may first be held or prosecuted in state or federal criminal courts; ICE usually takes custody afterward, then seeks removal. • WOSU, citing the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, reports those detained in the Columbus‑area raids were being held for “civil reasons, not criminal,” indicating immigration detention and deportation proceedings rather than new criminal prosecutions in many cases. Because DHS has not released comprehensive disposition data specific to Operation Buckeye, the exact mix of criminal prosecutions, continued detention, and removals is unknown.
The public DHS and ICE releases on Operation Buckeye name only U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), specifically its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arm. They do not list any specific state or local law‑enforcement agencies as formal partners in Operation Buckeye. It is common for ICE to coordinate with local jails, courts, or police on custody transfers or information, but no particular local partners are identified in the Operation Buckeye press materials available.
DHS/ICE use the phrase “worst of the worst” as a rhetorical label rather than a formally defined legal category. In this context, DHS says it refers to “criminal illegal aliens” with serious or repeated criminal histories, such as convictions for violent offenses, drug trafficking, weapons crimes, multiple DUIs, or other felonies, often combined with prior removal orders. The DHS “Worst of the Worst” (wow.dhs.gov) and ICE “WoW” pages highlight individuals with such convictions but do not provide a numeric threshold or statutory definition; instead, the term is used in communications to emphasize that DHS claims to be prioritizing people it considers the most dangerous.
Neither DHS nor ICE has released a full quantitative breakdown for Operation Buckeye showing how many of the 280+ arrestees had violent‑crime convictions versus immigration‑only violations, nor a complete nationality breakdown. The DHS and ICE releases list a small sample of named individuals from countries including Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, India, Somalia and Venezuela, with convictions for offenses ranging from aggravated assault and robbery to DUI and drug possession, but this is illustrative, not comprehensive. Independent analysis by the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, cited by WOSU, estimates that about 80% of those detained in the Columbus‑area raids were Latino and more than 90% were male, but it does not provide a precise violent‑crime vs. immigration‑only split for the entire operation. So the exact counts by offense type and nationality are not publicly known.
Tricia McLaughlin is the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In that role she oversees DHS’s public outreach and communications—media, digital, strategic, and crisis communications—and serves as the principal advisor to Secretary Kristi Noem on all external and internal communications. Her DHS biography notes prior roles as Chief of Staff for Nuclear Arms Control at the State Department, a senior sanctions official at the Treasury Department, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s political communications director, and senior adviser to presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.