Multiple speakers press Cincinnati leaders on Gaza, US policy and immigrant protections during public comment

Several members of the public used the council’s two-minute public-comment period to condemn U.S. and Israeli military actions in Gaza, to press Mayor Aftab and council members for public statements and action, and to call for protections for immigrant communities in Cincinnati.

Lina Zarrub told the council, "Palestine is not for sale. It belongs to Palestinians," and demanded officials "stand by justice," calling silence from local leaders "complicity." Jonathan Norman criticized national leaders for normalizing violence and said the city’s silence helped embolden broader abuses; he described the situation as "apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide." Mohammed Ahmed said the U.S. president’s meeting with Israeli leaders and public statements constituted "ethnic cleansing" and called for local officials to take a stand.

Speakers repeatedly connected national policy to local concerns. Several commenters urged the mayor and council to protect immigrant residents from federal immigration enforcement; Jared Hudson thanked the mayor for a prior pledge to resist federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and urged local resistance where possible. Vice Mayor Kearney later introduced and council adopted a motion directing the administration to produce a 90-day report on how the city supports immigrant communities and to coordinate outreach with local legal-service providers and community organizations.

The public-comment speakers were citizens, not city staff; no formal vote or ordinance resulted directly from the speakers’ requests during the comment period. The council’s subsequent item directing a report on immigrant supports (adopted later in the meeting) instructs staff to inventory available services, partner organizations and communications strategies; council members said they expect work with nonprofit partners such as the Immigrant & Refugee Law Center, Catholic Charities and local chambers of commerce.

Speakers cited both moral and practical concerns and urged local leaders to use city authority, communications and convening power to reassure and protect residents they described as fearful of raids and community retaliation. The council’s adoption of the immigrant-support report motion establishes a formal follow-up: the administration was asked to return within 90 days with details on resources, partners and outreach strategies.