Previously on WMD, we covered a story reported in CityBeat about a bill sponsored by State Rep Courtney Combs that would give law enforcement the tools to enforce this country's immigration laws when investigating a crime.An issue brought up in the article is that the bill did not clearly state whether or not victims of crime would be subject to questioning by law enforcement regarding the immigration status. I started a dialogue with Rep. Combs' office and this is the response I received on the question at hand:
"House Bill 308 is intended to give local governments and law enforcement agencies the tools to identify those who are in our state illegally and to ensure only legal residents receive state aide. Nothing in the legislation is intended to punish victims of crime, regardless of their immigration status.Should victims of crimes be asked about their immigration status? Sound off in the comments...
The current language of the legislation specifically states instances where the status of a person can be checked - either in a legal proceeding stemming from a crime or accusation of a crime or in the employment verification process - and when that lack of legal status would constitute a crime in the state of Ohio.
If someone is the victim of a crime, but are not legal citizens, there would be no repercussions from law enforcement regarding the person's legal status. Victims of crimes have the right to protection, regardless of immigration status.
With that being said, there is no language in the bill that specifically protects victims of crimes in relation to their immigration status. This is an issue I intend to bring up during deliberations and if it is deemed necessary we will add protection for victims into the bill."
