Police chief fired after controversial ICE-related visit to Cincinnati schools

GRATIS, Ohio (WXIX) - A southwestern Ohio police chief has lost her job after visiting Cincinnati Public Schools, claiming to be with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Gratis Village Council voted 4-2 Thursday night to fire Tonina Lamanna, effective immediately, Interim Police Chief Matt Jones confirms.

The officer who accompanied her, Jeff Baylor already quit.

Baylor recently told FOX19 NOW he had some reservations about the trip to Cincinnati schools, but Lamanna ordered him to go with her as police backup.

Interim Chief Jones remains in charge of the small department now of nine members, including him, who are mostly auxiliary or part-time officers.

“Gratis is a community full of great people with solid officers who enjoy serving the village,” he told FOX19 NOW early Friday.

“The GPD is working hard to rebuild trust and confidence both within Preble County and the region.”

‘Wellness checks’

On April 15, Lamanna and Baylor drove more than an hour outside of her jurisdiction to three different Cincinnati Public Schools buildings for “wellness checks” on students, Superintendent Shauna Murphy has said.

Lamanna claimed to be acting on ICE authority, according to Murphy.

The Gratis chief and officer were not allowed to see any students, Murphy said.

The village put both on administrative leave after finding out about it from other law enforcement agencies.

ICE officials eschewed any involvement, telling FOX19 NOW the agency “does not target schools for enforcement actions. ...a local law enforcement partner attempted to verify school enrollment and conduct welfare checks on children who arrived unaccompanied across the border. To be crystal clear, this was not an ICE officer or an enforcement action.”

Even Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones was appalled.

He is one of the most staunch ICE supporters who scrambled to recertify his jail for federal immigration prisoners once President Donald Trump was re-elected.

Lamanna was out of line, Sheriff Jones told FOX19 NOW last month. He called her actions “an embarrassment.”

The Gratis Police Department has since suspended its ICE partnership through Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Download the FREE FOX19 NOW news app for iPhone

Download the FREE FOX19 NOW news app for Android

FOX19 NOW reached out to Lamanna and Cincinnati Public Schools for comment.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.