Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Heights community rallies around Cilantro Taqueria following ICE raid
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (WOIO) – Federal immigration enforcement is ramping up across the country and we’re seeing the impact right here in Northeast Ohio.
Many in the community are furious following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a Mexican restaurant in Cleveland Heights over the weekend.
You will find messages of support written in Spanish and English outside of Cilantro Taqueria in Cleveland Heights.
19 reporter Kelly Kennedy spoke with the owner briefly off camera. He didn’t want to say much but did confirm that ICE agents showed up at his restaurant Sunday looking for a former employee with a criminal record. When that person wasn’t there, ICE agents arrested six other employees. Now, the community is rallying around them.
12-year-old Shelby and her 8-year-old siblings Mason and Georgia made most of the signs.
“It makes me feel really sad because we came here like, every day for dinner, when we first moved here, and when I first heard about it, like we were all crying,” Shelby said.
Alfred King was in the restaurant when four ICE agents showed up.
“Bum rushed everything and told all the workers to come to the side,” King recalled. “So, they was basically asking questions they told me, you know, get out.”
A viewer sent us photos of the federal agents outside. Shay Hayes was walking her dog when they arrived.
“It was like the SWAT team coming like Batman,” Hayes said. “It was crazy I’ve never seen nothing like it and I’m 38. I’ve never seen nothing like it, and I ran like I ran the opposite way because I’m like I don’t know what’s going on but once I seen the police I knew it was that time.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said there were 956 arrests across the country Sunday. The Geauga County Sheriff confirmed they received 20 people from the raids at the Geauga County Safety Center; which is one of two ICE detention centers in Ohio.
“I just couldn’t believe it because the way they came in and was talking to them and basically just you could tell the workers was scared,” King said. “I’ve seen it all their face.”
19 News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to find out if any of the detainees were in the country illegally or if they have criminal records, but so far, we have not heard back.
“It’s just scary and we all need to stand up together,” Hayes said. “I hope that they know that I’m going to still buy my Mexican bowl with my white rice, my black beans.”
For 8-year-old Georgia and her siblings – it’s simple.
“I’m very sad because everybody should because everybody should be invited here because it’s a place where people stayed here because they wanted to be safe,” Georgia said.
Some people we spoke to said they’re organizing a rally this Saturday afternoon to support Cilantro and anyone else in the community affected by this.
Copyright 2025 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Wanted sex offender arrested at the same Cleveland home where missing Tennessee mother found dead
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – U.S. Marshals say a wanted sex offender was arrested early Friday morning at the same home where a missing Tennessee mother was found dead on July 3.
Matthew Hensley, 43, was wanted by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department for failing to register his address after a conviction of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
“Today along with Cleveland Police SWAT, Deputy Sheriffs from Cuyahoga County and my Deputy Marshals, we hit that house and we found Hensley in that house hiding in a bench area and a wall and a secret compartment that he had constructed,” said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott
According to the U.S. Marshals, he had additional charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor from an indictment in 2022.
Law enforcement has been searching for Hensley for over two months, according to a release.
Hensley was featured on Cuyahoga’s Most Wanted on Thursday.
The task force said it received numerous tips about Hensley’s whereabouts all across the Cleveland area.
He was found hiding in a cabinet at a home located at 3490 Bosworth Road and taken into custody without incident.
On July 3, Amber Graham, 37, of Spring Hill, Tennessee, was found dead outside at the same address.
Police and fire personnel discovered her body covered in a sheet.
In the Cleveland police report connected to Graham’s death, Hensley is listed as a involved person.
Child found alone at fire station
Graham’s friend told 19 News she had brought her 8-year-old daughter with her on a trip to meet a man she had been communicating with through an online video game.
On July 1, the child walked into a Cleveland fire station alone.
Officials would not confirm the child’s relation to Graham but confirmed an 8-year-old did arrive at the fire station last week.
“They assessed her for any medical issues that she would have. She appeared uninjured, but she had a phone number in her pocket for her grandmother in Tennessee. It’s my understanding. But in that situation, we called police. They called Child Protective Services,” said Lt. Mike Norman of the Cleveland Fire Department.
A friend of the victim’s said the child was Graham’s.
Friends raise alarm
Joshua LaCroix, a friend of Graham’s who lives in Franklin, Tennessee, said Graham had told him and his wife she was planning the trip to Cleveland to meet a man she had connected with through a video game.
During the trip, Graham called LaCroix, saying he heard a man in the background who was angry with her.
“That was the last conversation that me and my wife had with her,” LaCroix said.
When Graham stopped responding, friends and family grew concerned.
“She never misses a shift. No one can reach her. Last thing we know, she was in Cleveland. So like, something’s not right. She’s supposed to be here at work and she’s not,” LaCroix said.
Graham’s family reported her missing to authorities on July 2.
Facebook group helps locate home
LaCroix said he reached out to a Cleveland Facebook page for help tracking down Graham. Members of the group identified a home they believed she may have visited.
“The police were able to get to the house and, you know, discover what they discovered,” LaCroix said.
LaCroix described Graham as someone who cared for others.
“She’s just a genuine person. And she’s a good person. She’s the kind of person who will care for you without much reason to do so,” he said.
Investigation ongoing
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner is investigating Graham’s cause of death. No arrests or charges have been made.
Cleveland police said they are awaiting the medical examiner’s ruling before potentially opening a criminal investigation.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -This week’s Cuyahoga’s Most Wanted features a Cleveland man on the run for failing to maintain his sex offender registry.
According to Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County, Matthew Hensley was convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor in a 2002 case.
It’s reported his victim was under the age of 16-years-old.
He has failed to register, and failed to notify the sheriff’s department of his change of address.
He is now facing the following charges:
• Unlawful sexual conduct with a minor
• Failure to provide notice of change of address
Hensley is 5’8” and 159 lbs. and has a tattoo of Jesus on his neck as well as a tribal dragon on his left arm and praying hands with roses on his right arm.
He was last known to be staying in the 1200 block of W. 65th Street in Cleveland.
If anyone knows where Hensley is, call Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County.
All calls to 216-252-7463 can remain completely anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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