Rep. Candice Keller, a Middletown RepublicanOhio House of Representatives
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel is throwing his support behind a proposed bill to ban “sanctuary cities” and hold local elected officials who buck the ban criminally liable for crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.
The bill, which has not yet been introduced in the General Assembly, would prohibit Ohio cities from adopting policies that ban or limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Mandel backed the legislation in a Monday press call with the bill’s sponsor, newly elected Rep. Candice Keller.
“This legislation is about protecting parents and kids here in Ohio,” Mandel said.
What’s a sanctuary city?
“Sanctuary city” is a term broadly applied to cities and counties that choose not to partner with federal officials to enforce federal immigration laws. Local police don’t have the authority enforce federal law, and cooperation with federal officials is voluntary.
The term often means local police officers do not inquire about someone’s immigration status during routine police work or decline to detain people after they’ve been freed without a warrant obtained by the feds.
An explainer: Sanctuary cities, illegal immigration and Donald Trump
Several cities, including Cincinnati, have recently embraced the term in response to President Donald Trump’s plans to crack down on immigration. Sanctuary city officials say the policies encourage people to come forward with information to help solve criminal cases and testify as witnesses in court.
Mandel repeatedly mentioned Cincinnati as a city that would violate the proposed law.
Why is Mandel pushing for the ban?
Mandel, a Republican who lost his U.S. Senate race in 2012, plans to again challenge Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2018. But he insisted his role pushing this bill is part of his job as state treasurer.
“As one of the constitutional office holders in state of Ohio, I have a responsibility to protect parents and kids in the state of Ohio and protect the Constitution and this is doing both of those things,” Mandel said.
What would the bill do?
Under the proposed bill, mayors and other elected officials could be charged with a fourth-degree felony for crimes committed in their city by undocumented immigrants, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. In a civil suit, city officials could be fined up to $1 million.
Ohio would be the first state to impose criminal charges on sanctuary city officials. Keller said the bill could change before being finalized.
What’s the problem?
Mandel and Keller said the legislation is needed to protect against “radical Islamic terrorists.” They pointed to a few incidents in other states where people freed in sanctuary cities went on to commit another crime, including a case in San Francisco, where a Mexican man who had been deported from the United States five times is accused of murdering a 32-year-old woman on a pier.
Neither could name one example in Ohio where an undocumented immigrant was released and then committed a serious crime.
Mandel said the legislation is intended to be proactive.
“It would be a very sad situation is if Ohio did nothing and God forbid if someone in Cincinnati, Columbus or Cleveland was murdered by an illegal immigrant who should have been reported to federal immigration authorities but wasn’t because they were a sanctuary city,” Mandel said.
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