To the editor:
SB 172 and HB 26, two bills now moving through Ohio’s legislative committees, would make local government authorities complicit in federal agents’ capture and detention of immigrants and their removal from our communities. Both HB 26 and SB 172 forbid Ohio officials to protect immigrants from arrest, even when local laws support such protection. These bills are twin attempts at intimidation and disruption of lives. As written, their enforcement could not avoid harassment and worse effects. They would harm not only Ohioans who are undocumented immigrants but also legal immigrants, naturalized citizens, or simply, persons of color. These bills seek to undercut the authority of local government offices and turn our police into round-up squads.
Mark Johnson, a cosponsor of HB 26, (District 92) represents Hocking, Vinton, and parts of Perry and Ross counties. SB 172 has passed through the Senate committee process and been introduced in the House, where HB 26 has been under consideration since last spring. The full texts of the bills are available at legislature.ohio.gov. The ACLU provides summaries at acluohio.org.
SB 172, aimed at state and local government authorities, including courts, prohibits local official protection of persons who may be in the country illegally. The bill asserts that any person even suspected of unlawful presence is liable for warrantless arrest “anywhere under any circumstances” and further claims that the bill’s force supersedes any current or future laws conflicting with it.
HB 26 requires local law enforcement’s cooperation with today’s anti-immigrant federal campaign. Local law enforcement agencies must report suspected undocumented persons to ICE and detain them for transfer, cooperate with new tests of eligibility for government services, and gather data on possible undocumented immigrants for the federal authorities. Further, HB 26 allows any congressperson who suspects noncompliance to file a complaint which, if found valid, triggers defunding of the local government as a punishment.
SB 172 and HB 26 together aim at disallowing official protection of immigrants working in our communities and living as our neighbors. Through the past half year all of us have learned of the cruelty of masked kidnappings, detention of captives in hidden locales, and deportation to foreign prisons without constitutionally required due process. These oppressive practices have come down on immigrants charged with no crimes, as well as legal residents and even naturalized citizens. The anti-immigrant bills now moving along towards the governor’s desk would force local government and law enforcement to participate in federally dictated persecution.
If you live in Rep. Johnson’s district (Hocking, Vinton, Perry or Ross counties), send him a message. If you live in Athens County, contact Kevin Ritter (District 94) or Ty Moore (District 95) about the bills. All are found at ohiohouse.gov. Contact Senator Brian Chavez (District 30) at ohiosenate.gov. Tell them to oppose the witch hunt.
Birch Moonwoman
Nelsonville, Ohio
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