COLUMBUS, Ohio — Immigration is also the focus of a Republican-sponsored bill at the Ohio Statehouse which is trying to ensure communities are cracking down on illegal immigrants.
It's called, the "Protecting Ohio Communities Act," and it would withhold funding from cities and counties that don’t oblige the proposal.
What You Need To Know
- House Bill 666 is multifaceted, and would make welcoming and sanctuary cities check the legal status of immigrants
- Cities would then, work with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) to enforce federal immigration law
- The goal is to crack down on illegal immigrants who are living in Ohio, according to State Rep. Josh Williams
- Williams has been working on this proposal for nearly a year
Republican State Representative Josh Williams said he’s been working on House Bill 666 for nearly a year. His goal is to force local governments to follow federal law when it comes to immigrants who enter the country illegally.
“If we catch people driving on our highways that are illegal immigrants in our community, we could increase enforcement efforts there in order to detain them and abide by any ICE detainer that the federal government has issued,” Williams said. “In addition, it requires law enforcement agencies to help us in data collection. It simply says when you come in contact with individuals, you need to check their immigration status so we can have accurate statistics in Ohio about the number of illegal immigrants who are committing crimes.”
Williams said his new proposal is multifaceted, and it would make welcoming or sanctuary cities check the legal status of immigrants. Then, work with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) to enforce federal immigration laws. If the municipalities don’t comply, they would be ineligible to receive homeland security funding, and could stand to lose 10% of their local government funding. Those dollars would then head to the local state highway patrol.
Williams also said his bill language lets State Highway Patrol alert federal authorities when pulling over individuals to check legal status. The proposal would also let members of the general assembly file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office if they believe local governments are not following the bill requirements. If the Attorney General believes a violation occurred, then that municipality would be ineligible for Homeland Security Funding. However, the Ohio Municipal League Executive Director Kent Scarrett believes this legislation is not needed at this time.
“I think the practices that are in place now are working,” Scarrett said. “There is a process that our communities have to notify the federal government. And, if a crime has been committed, those individuals are arrested and are detained.”
Columbus has stopped short of becoming a sanctuary city. It doesn’t have laws in place that prohibit its law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. But, it does consider itself a welcoming community for all immigrants. Columbus City Council member Lourdes Barroso De Padilla said this proposal goes too far, and could lead to more stress on the local community.
“Why are we adding more paperwork? Why are we adding more stress on a system that is already experiencing a lot of stress with just the day-to-day life for something that has not shown us that we need,” Padilla said.
She also stated immigration is a sensitive issue and needs to be understood from various perspectives. Meanwhile, legal expert Atiba Ellis says this proposal in his opinion could potentially create a system of racial profiling.
“This runs the risk of being over-broad,” Ellis said. “And folks who are rightfully here, permanent residents, maybe even citizens of the United States who fit the profile bill, could get caught up by this heightened action. Especially, if this action is not being done by enforcement officials who are specifically trained and have federal authorization in order to undertake it.”
The proposal has yet to be assigned to a committee, and will need to go through further discussion by lawmakers and community members.