An anti-sanctuary bill is pending in the Ohio House of Representatives.
HB 169 is titled “Require state/local authorities to cooperate on immigration” or “Ohio’s Anti-Sanctuary Cities Act.”
The primary sponsors of the bill, filed last June in the 133rd Ohio General Assembly, are State Reps. Candice R. Keller (R-OH-53) and Niraj J. Antani (R-OH-42), both of whom are running for Senate seats.
The bill had its first hearing in the House Criminal Justice Committee Thursday.
Speaking of support from around the state, Keller on Thursday said, “No matter what corner of Ohio these citizens are from, their cry is the same—sanctuary cities are making our communities less safe. These citizens trusted their local elected officials to uphold the law and keep their communities safe. However, instead of becoming beacons of inclusivity and diversity, sanctuary city policies have become beacons for criminal illegal aliens. Many times, these criminals will have entered illegally several times, committed several crimes, yet the sanctuary city simply releases them back into the community.”
State Rep. Don Manning (R-OH-59), a co-sponsor, posted on his Facebook page, “I am very proud to be a co-sponsor of this common sense legislation, HB-169. These so-called sanctuary cities are nothing more than a safe haven for ILLEGAL immigrants…!!!”
When the bill was filed, Keller said in a statement that it requires that law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal immigration officials when detaining a person, who has committed a crime, which is believed to be in the country illegally. It will also require that cities not adopt policies preventing law enforcement from cooperation with federal immigration policies and procedures.
“Let me stress to you, this is not a bill regarding race, religion, or ethnicity,” said Keller. “This bill is about restoring law and order to our land. This bill is about giving Ohioans some security in their own communities by knowing their public servants are not undermining the legal immigration process.”
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Candice Keller” by Candice Keller. Background Photo “Ohio Capitol” by Mj. CC BY-SA 4.0.
