Cleveland Heights Collaborates on Immigration Legal Clinics

City council announces partnership with bar association to provide legal aid for immigrant residents facing deportation proceedings.

Published on Feb. 3, 2026

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The Cleveland Heights City Council announced a new collaboration with the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association to offer legal clinics for up to 600 immigrant residents at risk of deportation proceedings. Councilwoman Jessica Cohen secured a bilingual immigration attorney to host at least three clinics over the next six months, with the first potentially happening by the end of February. This comes after the council faced pressure from local immigrant advocacy group CH4IR to contribute $200,000 to an immigrant legal defense fund, which the council has not yet approved.

Why it matters

Cleveland Heights has a sizable immigrant population, and the city council is seeking ways to support and protect these residents amid increased federal immigration enforcement actions. The legal clinics aim to provide critical legal advice and resources to immigrants facing deportation, which can have devastating impacts on families and the broader community.

The details

Through the bar association, Councilwoman Cohen connected with a bilingual immigration attorney who will host at least three legal clinics for the Cleveland Heights community over the next six months. The first clinic could happen as soon as the end of February, either in-person or via Zoom, to provide information and guidance to immigrant residents. The city also designated a section on its website with contacts for housing, food, and legal services for immigrants. This is an initial step after the immigrant advocacy group CH4IR has been lobbying the council to contribute $200,000 to an immigrant legal defense fund, which the council has not yet approved.

  • The first legal clinic could happen by the end of February 2026.
  • The clinics will continue over the next six months.

The players

Jessica Cohen

A Cleveland Heights city councilwoman who announced the new collaboration with the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association to provide legal clinics for immigrant residents.

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association

The organization that is providing connections and a bilingual immigration attorney to host legal clinics for Cleveland Heights' immigrant community.

CH4IR (Cleveland Heights for Immigrant Rights)

A local immigrant advocacy group that has been lobbying the Cleveland Heights city council to contribute $200,000 to an immigrant legal defense fund.

Jim Petras

The mayor of Cleveland Heights who acknowledged the council's ongoing work on supporting the immigrant community, despite a lack of public updates.

Gail Larson

The Cleveland Heights city council vice president who thanked the immigrant advocates for their work but criticized inflammatory rhetoric directed at the council.

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What they’re saying

“The first could be held by the end of February -- in Spanish, if preferred -- to provide information that immigrants in our community may need and whether by Zoom or in person.”

— Jessica Cohen, Cleveland Heights City Councilwoman (cleveland.com)

“We still want to pursue doing the two-year pilot program for legal counsel, but this is a great first step to help our residents who might be afraid right now with what's going on, to get them some good advice.”

— Karly Whitaker, Member of CH4IR (cleveland.com)

“The charges made against council that our silence is complicity -- and thus we are fascists -- are disturbing and personally disappointing.”

— Gail Larson, Cleveland Heights City Council Vice President (cleveland.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This collaboration between the Cleveland Heights city council and the local bar association demonstrates a proactive approach to supporting the immigrant community and providing critical legal resources, even as the council has not yet approved the full $200,000 legal defense fund requested by advocacy groups. The clinics aim to address immediate needs and fears among immigrant residents facing deportation proceedings.