The Village of Gratis has fired Police Chief Tonina Lamanna after she attempted to enter several Cincinnati schools while working on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In April, Lamanna and another Gratis officer made unannounced visits to two Cincinnati elementary schools and one high school to conduct "wellness checks" for ICE on students believed to be enrolled in the district. All three schools have a high percentage of Hispanic students and students learning English. Cincinnati Public says the officers did not interact with any students.
Shortly after the incident, both officers were placed on administrative leave.
Lamanna signed a contract with ICE last November, partnering the village's police department with the federal agency. ICE says the agreement is one of several partnerships it has with local and state law enforcement as part of its "Unaccompanied Alien Children Safety Verification Initiative." The federal agency says the initiative is designed to protect immigrant children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
The village's council voted 4-2 Thursday to approve Lamanna's dismissal in response to a recommendation by Gratis Mayor Kevin Johnson.
Johnson's written recommendation claims that, on top of exceeding her authority by visiting the schools, Lamanna demonstrated a pattern of misconduct and mismanagement after being promoted to chief in 2024.
The recommendation says the village's investigation revealed that the now former police chief mismanaged the department's property room; mishandled official records; intimidated other officers during the investigation; attempted to retaliate against an officer who was cooperating by changing his employment status from full-time to part-time, which also violated her administrative leave; and conducted improper traffic stops and detainments, including what Johnson describes as "scared straight" detainments.
The mayor also alleges Lamanna said she didn't recall signing a contract with ICE when asked directly.
Gratis' interim police chief told WVXU the department suspended its contract with ICE after the April incident.
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