Our favorite sheriff, Rick Jones, had a press conference with State Rep. Courtney Combs to introduce legislation that would allow Ohio law enforcement to check for citizenship.
The Enquirer picks up the story from here:
If enacted, Combs' bill would direct Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann to negotiate with federal immigration officials to allow local authorities to enforce immigration and customs laws at the state and local levels.
Jones said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employs fewer than 50 agents in Ohio. In contrast, Michigan, although less populous, has 200 ICE agents, Jones said.
If the nation's 6,000 ICE agents got help from 1 million local police across the nation, they could put a meaningful dent into illegal immigration, Jones said.
Combs' bill would make concealment and transportation of illegal immigrants a felony. It also would require contracting businesses to withhold state income taxes "at the top marginal rate" from any subcontractors who fail to verify their employees are working legally. Now, some businesses are skirting the law by claiming ignorance of the immigration status of subcontractors' workers, Combs said.
This story is nothing new...
Combs said one large contractor who refuses to hire illegals told him he cannot compete against those who hire subcontractors with known illegal labor forces. That contractor said if something isn't done, he would be forced out of business, Combs said.
When my good friend
Bill Pierce was running for the US Senate, he heard this same story time and again. Ethical businesses are being put on the ropes by those who hire illegals and are able to undercut bids for work. This law will go a long way towards restoring the balance and I'm all for enforcing our laws at any rate.
