Moreno accused Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther of using $225,000 in public money to support overseas nurse recruitment through a September MOU with Ghana, saying the city should fund Ohio nursing students instead.
The agreement creates a Ghana-Columbus nursing partnership aimed at training links, workforce development and legal pathways for qualified Ghanaian nurses to enter Ohio's healthcare system.
In a letter Wednesday, Moreno said the program could replace U.S. nurses with lower-cost foreign labor and depress wages, adding that Ginther has spent about $8.3 million benefiting noncitizens and foreign governments.
Columbus City Council approved the $225,000 as a 2026 general fund grant to Greater Columbus Sister Cities International, whose ordinance covers exchanges with 10 sister cities including Accra plus administrative costs.
Ginther, speaking at the signing ceremony, said Ghana had trained nurses ready for a legal Columbus market, while Ghana's government cast the MOU as broader cooperation on skills transfer, research and healthcare innovation.