GRATIS, OHIO — The Gratis Village Council voted 4-2 on May 28, 2026, to fire Police Chief Tonina Lamanna following an incident in which she allegedly posed as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during visits to three schools in the Cincinnati area. Lamanna had been placed on leave for nearly a month prior to her termination.
Lamanna and Officer Jeffrey Baylor traveled more than an hour to the schools, where she reportedly claimed to be conducting “wellness checks” on behalf of ICE. ICE officials later stated the visits were not an enforcement action and did not involve federal officers. In response to the incident, the village indefinitely suspended its 287(g) agreement, which had authorized local police to assist with federal immigration enforcement.
Baylor resigned following the incident, along with another Gratis police officer. “I did not insinuate that I have a federal license or that I am there on behalf of any federal agency,” Baylor said. “She handled all the talking,” he said.
After the departures of Lamanna, Baylor, and the other officer, the Gratis Police Department was reduced to five officers. The Village of Gratis has a population of fewer than 1,000 residents, with approximately 4,200 people living in the surrounding township area, according to 2020 census data.