Musician Khalidou Sy and thousands of Mauritanians have settled in Lockland, Ohio, after dangerous journeys fleeing systemic racism, slavery-like practices and human rights abuses in Mauritania. The rapid growth strained local housing and services and prompted hostile media coverage and enforcement attention; there are now over 19,000 Mauritanian cases pending in U.S. immigration courts. Community organizations have helped with transport and integration, but many still fear detention and deportation during routine immigration check-ins.
From Mauritania to Ohio: Immigrants in Lockland Face Deportations While Abuses Persist Back Home
An immigrant from Mauritania speaks on the phone at Valley Interfaith Community Resource Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 8 March 2024.Photograph: Maddie McGarvey for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Musician Khalidou Sy remembers the night his concert was abruptly shut down and Mauritanian police took him away, holding him in jail for five days. Authorities gave no official reason for the detention; during the performance Sy had criticized the lack of electricity for the public and urged officials to act.
A Narrow Escape and a Perilous Journey
“Life in Mauritania was very rough. The country is very segregated and racism is very high,” Sy says. He, his wife and their infant arrived in the United States in October 2023 after a dangerous, 15-day journey through Central America. While traveling between Mexico City and the U.S. border their bus was stopped by an armed gang and passengers were robbed. Sy hid their money in the baby’s diaper to avoid detection.
A Rapidly Growing Community in Lockland
Two years on, Sy and his family have settled in Lockland, a small village north of Cincinnati. Among the many immigrant communities in the U.S., Mauritanians remain relatively small in number — until 2023 the foreign-born Mauritanian population in the U.S. was estimated at roughly 8,000 people. But thousands more arrived over the next two years, with many settling in the Cincinnati and Columbus areas after long, expensive and often perilous routes that can include travel through Turkey and Colombia, crossing the Darién Gap, and entering the U.S. via Arizona to seek asylum.
Why People Flee
Many new arrivals belong to the Fulani ethnic group, whose communities span West Africa and who have faced discrimination and abuses in several countries. Mauritania — the last country to abolish slavery in law — still struggles with slavery-like practices; estimates suggest around 149,000 people remain in conditions analogous to slavery. The country’s politics are dominated by an Arab-Berber minority, and persistent human rights abuses against the Black population have driven many to seek refuge abroad.
“I don’t know any Black person who wants to live in a country that is very similar to South Africa during the apartheid era and where slavery is still a reality,” says Amadou Ly of the Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in the U.S. “In my opinion, that is the main reason Black Mauritanians don’t want to be deported.”
Local Impact and Backlash
Officials and residents say roughly 3,500 Mauritanian immigrants arrived in the Lockland area in two years. Affordable housing and entry-level jobs appear to be primary draws, but the sudden population increase strained municipal services: one housing complex that became popular with Mauritanians reportedly housed up to 12 people in apartments built for four. Some neighbors complained about low water pressure and blocked drains, and local authorities say many early arrivals initially lacked work authorization and therefore did not contribute to local taxes that fund services.
Local media and some national right-wing outlets have portrayed the newcomers as disrupting life for long-term residents, a backlash that has drawn the attention of the Trump administration and contributed to increased immigration enforcement targeting the community.
Deportations and Fear at Check-Ins
Immigration courts now have more than 19,000 pending cases involving Mauritanian nationals, the second-highest total among African countries after Senegal. According to the Deportation Data Project, at least 90 people have been deported by ICE to Mauritania since Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20 January. Many in the community report sudden arrests after mandatory immigration check-ins in Cleveland and elsewhere.
Last month, a friend of Demba — a volunteer at a Lockland bike-repair workshop and a person of Mauritanian heritage — was detained by ICE after leaving an appointment in Cleveland and subsequently deported to Senegal. For many, routine check-ins carry the risk of detention.
Local Support and Small Wins
Local organizations have stepped in to help. Queen City Bike, led by interim president Vincent Wilson, estimates it has assisted 400–500 Mauritanian immigrants with bicycles to improve mobility and access to work. As more migrants obtained work permits, many were able to buy cars, rent their own apartments and begin contributing more fully to the local economy — a change residents say has reduced some tensions.
Lives in Limbo
Sy says he applied for asylum more than a year ago and is still waiting for a decision. He and others in Lockland live with constant uncertainty: work permits and local support have eased daily life for some, but the threat of detention and deportation remains. “Anything can happen,” Sy says. “I wish it would never happen, but you never know.”
