Recent headlines have portrayed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton as embracing cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, breaking with other Democrats and even pledging to assist President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts.

But the words Acton actually used at a Tuesday press conference were considerably broader. Although reporters were asking her about ICE and federal immigration enforcement, Acton never said “ICE,” never used the word “immigration” and did not announce a new immigration enforcement policy. Instead, she said Ohio should continue working with federal law enforcement while holding officers operating in the state to professional standards.

The distinction has been blurred in subsequent coverage. National Review published a headline declaring that Acton “Vows to Cooperate with ICE” and characterized her remarks as a promise to cooperate with the Trump administration’s deportation efforts. News 5 Cleveland went with “Party flip? Democrat Acton supports ICE collaboration,” describing her as “breaking from her party.” The story was subsequently republished Friday by the Ohio Capital Journal under the headline “Democrat Acton supports ICE collaboration.”

What Acton actually said

Video of the press conference shows Acton discussing expectations for law enforcement officers who operate in Ohio and the state’s relationship with federal law enforcement.

“We need to hold anyone who comes to our state to the same standards of professionalism that we expect of our public safety officers, and I will always fight for that,” Acton said.

Addressing previous remarks she had made about federal enforcement operations in Minnesota, Acton continued:

“I was talking about Minneapolis in a moment where, you know, I was saying that we need to hold anyone who comes to our state to the same standards of professionalism that we expect of our public safety officers, and I will always fight for that. People of Ohio deserve to feel safe, and they deserve the professionalism and the training.”

When the questioning turned to cooperation with federal authorities, Acton said:

“We always work with the federal law enforcement, and we will do so — whatever it takes to keep Ohioans safe.”

That sentence became the basis for headlines saying Acton had pledged cooperation with ICE. National Review went further, reporting that she “said she would cooperate with the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.” News 5 reported that Acton would not prevent local law enforcement from assisting immigration raids.

Acton’s quoted answer itself, however, did not say any of that explicitly. She said Ohio would continue working with “federal law enforcement.” She did not specifically endorse ICE raids, discuss ICE detainers, promise state resources for deportation operations or describe what particular forms of cooperation between Ohio agencies and ICE she would support as governor.

There is an important qualification: Acton made those remarks while responding to questions about ICE, so it would be unreasonable to pretend immigration enforcement had nothing to do with the exchange. Her reference to federal law enforcement can reasonably be understood to include ICE in that context. But saying that is different from reporting that Acton announced support for ICE operations generally or pledged to assist the Trump administration’s deportation program.

Acton had already said immigration laws should be enforced

The characterization of Tuesday’s remarks as a new “party flip” also conflicts with Acton’s previous public statements.

More than seven months ago, Ideastream Public Media directly asked Acton what role state and local agencies should play in immigration enforcement.

Unlike Tuesday’s answer, Acton’s response in that January interview explicitly addressed immigration law.

“If people are here as criminals, if people are here illegally, we need to enforce the laws of this country and the laws of the state of Ohio. But we need to do that lawfully.

“Ohioans everywhere I’m going, regardless of party, are heartbroken, they’re afraid, they are horrified [by the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis]. They want to see public safety. But they want our communities, our frontline responders, to be well-trained and be good at what they do.

“Quite frankly, the Statehouse is not fully funding the local funds [for law enforcement training]. As governor, I’m going to be investing in that. But we need [ICE activity] to be lawful and we need a full and transparent investigation [of Good’s death].”

Acton’s position in January therefore already combined two ideas: that immigration laws should be enforced and that the government must carry out that enforcement lawfully.

That makes it difficult to characterize her comments this week as a sudden reversal. Months before the August press conference, Acton had already publicly said that people who are in the country illegally are subject to federal and state laws and that those laws should be enforced.

She has also criticized how ICE has operated

Acton has simultaneously been critical of federal immigration enforcement tactics under the Trump administration.

On Jan. 24, following federal enforcement operations and deadly shootings in Minnesota, Acton posted on X:

“What we are witnessing in Minnesota is not normal or okay.

“Law enforcement should be keeping people safe by going after dangerous criminals, not by terrorizing communities.

“The people of Minnesota deserve a full and transparent investigation, safe streets, and basic human dignity.”

Those comments are consistent with what Acton said in her January Ideastream interview and with her remarks Tuesday: enforce the law, pursue dangerous criminals, cooperate with law enforcement agencies and demand lawful and professional conduct from officers.

None of that establishes that Acton opposes all cooperation with ICE. She has not said that. But it also does not support portraying Tuesday’s comments as a newly announced endorsement of ICE’s broader enforcement tactics or Trump’s deportation agenda.

What changed was the headline

The Statehouse News Bureau used more restrained language in its coverage, reporting that Acton “would not direct local police to refrain from assisting federal immigration agents.” Its evidence was the same statement: “We always work with the federal law enforcement, and we will do so, whatever it takes to keep Ohioans safe.”

News 5 and National Review pushed the interpretation further, converting that general statement into headlines about “ICE collaboration” and a vow to “cooperate with ICE.” National Review went further still by characterizing Acton as agreeing to cooperate with the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.

What Acton actually committed to Tuesday was continued cooperation with federal law enforcement to protect public safety. She also demanded that people operating in Ohio meet the same standards of professionalism expected of Ohio law enforcement officers.

And contrary to the suggestion that Acton abruptly changed positions, her public record shows she was saying substantially the same thing in January: immigration laws should be enforced, dangerous criminals should be targeted, enforcement should be lawful and law enforcement officers should be properly trained and professional.

What changed this week was not Acton’s stated position. It was the headline.