Last week, the Ohio Senate approved two immigration proposals to improve communication between local, state and federal governments to curb illegal immigration. With the support of Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones and Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper, these two pieces of legislation will provide resources and tools to allow Ohio law enforcement to legally apprehend illegal immigrants. One of the pieces of legislation will authorize the county sheriff to aid in the apprehension and investigation of illegal immigrants who have violated civil conditions of the law upon the request from the federal government. Under the current law, only the federal government can detain illegal immigrants. The Miami Student editorial board supports this new legislation in hopes that it will establish a beneficial relationship between federal and local governments, curb illegal immigration in the long-run and applauds Ohio for taking a step in the right direction.
This Senate bill will open the lines of communication between local law enforcement and the federal government. Open dialogue is critical between state and national levels to tackle the country's growing illegal immigration problem. It will also hopefully allow the national government to divert more time to focus on border control, as opposed to concentrating on illegal immigration in lower populated areas. The influx of immigrants to southwest Ohio in the last five years makes this bill extremely relevant.
We may not see the immediate effects of this bill or even any significant changes in the short-term. However, in the long-term, efforts such as this piece of legislation may help curb illegal immigration. In the long-term, continued efforts will hopefully encourage immigrants to come legally and through the correct process. This legislation is a step in the right direction.
As the legislation moves to the Ohio House for approval and eventually to the governor's desk for signing into law, we hope it garners the support of members of the state legislature. Bothof the proposals are small legislative changes that could improve the future of curbing illegal immigration. More importantly, it will force the federal and state governments to communicate, which is imperative to order to find a solution.
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