Special Policy Alert on Immigration Enforcement Bills - Action Needed

Special Policy Alert:  Senate Hearing on TWO immigration Enforcement Bills to Take Place Next Week

Next Tuesday there will be an OPPONENT hearing on BOTH Senate Bills 35 and 150 which would give local law enforcement the authority to enforce immigration law.  The State and Local and Government Affairs Committee will meet to discuss the bills at the following date/time:

TUESDAY, February 9th at 10:00 a.m.
South Hearing Room
Statehouse in Columbus.

This is an URGENT notice.  This may be the ONLY opportunity to discuss concerns with the bills and to stop their passage!!

Please get out the information to as many people as you can.  We need as many people there as possible and we need people to give testimony!!!  To give you an idea of how critical this is, in 2008 a similar bill was passed through committee and the Senate in one day!!!

SENATE BILL 35 sponosred by Senators Bill Seitz (R - Cincinnati) and Jimmy Stewart (R - Albany) would mandate that the Ohio Attorney General pursue a memorandum of agreement with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to deputize Ohio law enforcement officers as immigration enforcement officers.  This would provide for the enforcement of both criminal and civil violations of immigration law.  This memorandum agreement is commonly referred to as a 287(g) program.  The bill language below is also available at: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=128_SB_35

SENATE BILL 150 sponsored by Senator Gary Cates (R-West Chester), would provide that a board of county commissioners may direct a sheriff to take custody of persons who are being detained for deportation or who are charged with criminal violations of immigration law and to expressly authorize state and local employees and county sheriffs to render assistance to federal immigration officials in the investigation and enforcement of federal immigration law. Senate Bill 150 is a reintroduction of the last general assembly's Senate Bill 260, which contained the same provisions. The bill text is currently in the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee.  The text is  available at: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=128_SB_150.

Please let our office know as soon as possible if you will be able to attend and/or testify.  Information on the legislative process and a guide to testifying is available at http://ochla.ohio.gov/ohla/tpb-legis101.aspx

Thanks,

 
 
Florentina Staigers, Esq.
Policy Director
Ohio Latino Affairs. Advise. Connect. Build.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ohio Latino Affairs
Riffe Center - 18th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH  43215
tel ~ 614-466-8333
cell ~ 614-595-8057
fax ~ 614-995-0896
email ~ tina.staigers@ohio.gov
web ~ http://ochla.ohio.gov