BLUE ASH, Ohio (WXIX) - As immigration continues to be a hot topic in the U.S., protests and demonstrations for two men who were detained by ICE agents continue in Greater Cincinnati. Community members have been rallying behind Alonza Tomas Mendez, a 34-year-old who is currently in ICE custody after having an encounter with agents at the Kroger on Warsaw Avenue May 31. Friends and family members called for Mendez’s release Tuesday outside of the Department of Homeland Security in Blue Ash. Mendez is an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, and has lived in Cincinnati for 3.5 years. Friends say he is a husband, a devoted father of two daughters and a person of faith. “Today, we stand with Alonzo Tomas Mendez, like with every immigrant family that have been torn apart and the unjust detention,” said Walter Vasquez. Two other men were arrested alongside Mendez that day in the Kroger parking lot. Mendez’s family says he was there picking up supplies for a birthday party. “Let’s not allow mothers and fathers to suddenly disappear, to be vanished away by men in black masks with no opportunity to defend themselves,” said former Vineyard Community Church Pastor Dave Workman. Mendez is currently being held at the Butler County Jail on an ICE detainer and is awaiting a master hearing before an immigration judge. Supporters say they just want him released on bond until then. “These are our neighbors. Their children go to our schools. Their parents work with me. They’re good people and we need to support their efforts to build businesses and to raise their families,” Price Hill resident Don Driehaus said. In addition to the community rallying for Mendez, many have protested the ICE arrest of 19-year-old Emerson Colindres, a soccer player from Honduras. Despite the demonstrations calling for the release of Colindres, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says his office transported him from the jail to an airport in Ohio for deportation. “He went through the court process. The law is the law. At this point, there are no exceptions,” Sheriff Jones told FOX19 NOW. “It’s sad this country has allowed this to take place, these people coming in here illegally and now we have to deal with it.”Jones says he does expect more protests over immigration in the coming months. He says it’s going to be a long summer with “anger, more protests and riots.”See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.Copyright 2025 WXIX. All rights reserved.