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
Cleveland police arrest suspect in involuntary manslaughter investigation, find fentanyl and PCP
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland Division of Police worked with multiple agencies to arrest a man in an investigation into involuntary manslaughter and found drugs during a police search Wednesday.
The Cleveland Division of Police Narcotics Unit worked with the U.S. Marshals Task Force to arrest 33-year-old James Williams as part of the division’s Violent Crime Reduction efforts.
Williams was taken into custody in the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood in Cleveland’s Fourth District Wednesday.
He was previously wanted on an involuntary manslaughter investigation warrant in connection with three fatal drug overdoses, police say.
In November 2025, Williams was identified by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office as one of 37 suspects in a large-scale drug trafficking organization.
Police say that during the investigation into Williams, they seized thousands of grams of illegal narcotics.
After Williams’ arrest, the Narcotics Unit executed a search of his home.
During the search, police say the unit found 83 grams of suspected cocaine, 76 grams of suspected fentanyl and 824 grams of suspected PCP.
Investigators say they seized numerous items associated with drug manufacturing and distribution that contained suspected drug residue.
Investigators say Williams was involved in distributing dangerous narcotics, including mixtures containing fentanyl and xylazine, a drug commonly used as a tranquilizer for animals.
Police say when xylazine is mixed with fentanyl, it can increase the risk of overdose and death.
Police said Narcan can reverse the opioid effects of fentanyl, but it cannot reverse the effects of xylazine, which makes those overdoses dangerous and in need of medical intervention.
“Every day, these men and women dedicate countless hours to complex investigations aimed at removing violent offenders, illegal firearms, and dangerous narcotics from our neighborhoods. We remain deeply concerned about the presence of Xylazine, a dangerous substance that does not respond to Narcan and is contributing to fatal overdoses,” Chief Dorothy Todd said. “We are grateful for the continued dedication of our local, state, and federal partners as we work together to reduce violent crime, disrupt criminal organizations, and keep Cleveland’s residents safe.”
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Woman killed, several children injured in Ohio Turnpike crash in Lorain County
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A 28-year-old woman is dead, and three children are hospitalized following a one-car rollover accident in Elyria Township in the eastbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike.
The crash happened around 11:54 a.m. at milepost 146.3.
During the investigation of the crash OSHP learned that the crash happened when the Toyota RAV4, driven by Najalee N. Rivera, drove off the right side of the road, struck a guardrail, and overturned.
The vehicle was also occupied by three children. A 7-year-old boy, a 8-year-old girl, and 4-year-old girl all from Lorain, they all suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported by LifeCare Ambulance to University Elyria Hospital.
Rivera was not wearing a safety belt at the time of the crash, according to OSHP.
Two of the lanes were reopened about 4:15 p.m., according to a social media post from the Ohio Turnpike.
Check back with 19 News for the latest on this story.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
LOOK: Remembering the Cavs championship win, victory parade 10 years later
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Ten years ago, Cleveland experienced one of the most unforgettable moments in the city’s history.
The Cavaliers became the first-ever team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. By winning the 2016 NBA Finals, they also ended a 52-year championship drought for Cleveland.
Mr. Cavalier, Austin Carr, said he still relishes that moment 10 years later.
“The odds we overcame to win that championship,” he said. “Not only did we have to win three straight games, but we also had to have the right things happen at the right moment in order to win it. And that just tells me how difficult it is … with ‘The Shot’, ‘The Block’, and the defensive move. All those. It was just meant to be.”
The victory over the Golden State Warriors catapulted LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith and the rest of the crew into essential Northeast Ohio sainthood.
When Akron’s own James screamed the now-famous phrase, “Cleveland, this is for you!” following the game, a whole legion of Cleveland fans around the country wept and cheered along with him.

When Smith refused to put a shirt on for what seemed like a whole summer in honor of the win, it felt right and proper.
Whenever the long-since traded Irving comes back to town, he’s remembered for his important 3-pointer at the end of Game 7 and not the way he left the team.
And the city made history again just a few days later, when more than 1.3 million people flooded downtown Cleveland for the championship parade. According to the Cavs, it remains the largest NBA championship parade ever.
The current Cavaliers (now in their Donovan Mitchell era) haven’t been back to the NBA Finals. They reached the conference finals this past spring for the first time since 2018. But a finals appearance has still eluded the wine and gold.
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