Ohio House Democrats are introducing a series of bills related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement — including one that would prohibit ICE officers from wearing face coverings and another that would not allow immigration enforcement to take place in schools or churches.
Ohio Republicans have a supermajority in the Statehouse, but Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, D-Cincinnati, said these are not partisan issues.
“We’re talking about basic constitutional rights,” he said. “These are freedoms that we all enjoy as Americans.”
Ohio State Reps. Karen Brownlee, D-Symmes Twp, and Cecil Thomas, D-Cincinnati, are introducing a bill that would not allow federal, state, and local law enforcement from wearing face coverings and require them to clearly display their badge and identification.
“The goal is simple, face coverings should not be worn as a way to evade public accountability for faulty, improper or illegal policing tactics,” Brownlee said.
Law enforcement officers withholding their identification makes people feel less safe, she said.
“Imagine having an unmarked, unidentifiable SUV pull up next to you, and seconds later, you are surrounded by multiple individuals that are in masks with no badge, no identification telling you that you’re about to be detained,” Brownlee said. “They grab you and throw you into their unmarked vehicles.”
State Rep. Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, is putting forth a bill that would place limits on state entities collecting and sharing data.
“When a government collects data on its citizens, that data should only be shared if necessary to administer a government program or service,” she said. “But across the nation, we can see growing fears about the impact of mishandled citizen data and what impact that mishandling it may have on our communities.”
There have been reports that federal agents, including ICE, have accessed citizen’s private data.
“That has to stop, and we have an obligation as Ohio lawmakers to demand that it does stop and to protect citizen privacy,” Russo said.
Her bill would not allow state entities to collect, share or disclose information related to someone’s citizenship or immigration status, except when required by law.
“Personal information or data shall not be disclosed without the informed consent of the individual, a warrant, a court order or a subpoena that is signed by an Ohio or federal judge or unless otherwise required by federal and state law,” Russo said.
State Reps. Christine Cockley, D-Columbus, and Tristan Rader, D-Lakewood, are introducing a bill that would not allow agencies, officials, and data brokers from selling or distributing sensitive personal data — unless used for a permitted purpose.
“ICE has been contracting with data brokers and tech companies to gain access to our personal data,” Cockley said. “Even interacting with the weather app generates location data, which can then be sold to agencies like ICE for further tracking and monitoring. These companies are turning profit by selling their collected data on Ohioans.”
The bill defines sensitive data as a person’s name, date of birth, social security number, phone number, and immigration status, among other things.
State Reps. Ismail Mohamed, D-Columbus, and Eric Synenberg, D-Beachwood, are introducing a bill that would prohibit immigration enforcement in schools, place of worship, hospitals, and courthouses.
“Every Ohio deserves the right to feel safe in their school and place of worship,” Mohamed said.
The Trump administration last year rescinded a policy directive that banned ICE from operating in “sensitive areas” like schools, places of worship, and hospitals.
“We will not tolerate that fear … especially in our most sacred and important locations for community well-being,” Mohamed said.
State Reps. Mark Sigrist, D-Grove City, and Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, plan to introduce a resolution that asserts local law enforcement’s right to investigate crimes that happen inside Ohio.
“This will reaffirm that local law enforcement participation in those investigations is beneficial to public trust, government transparency and public safety,” Sigrist said. “Ohio has a right to investigate offenses that occur in our state.”
State Reps. Ashley Bryant Bailey, D-Cincinnati, and Veronica Sims, D-Akron, are introducing a bill that would create minimum standards for Ohio’s immigration detention centers. This would include providing three hot meals a day, a bed, blankets, weather-appropriate clothing, time to participate in religious activities, and medical and mental health services.
“Our system is built upon the ideal that we are innocent until proven guilty,” Bryant Bailey said. “This bill would reaffirm an inmate or detainees’ right to fair treatment and mitigate the poor conditions within our current facilities.”
There are six Ohio detention facilities that contract with ICE to hold people who have been detained: Butler County Jail in Hamilton, the Seneca County Jail in Tiffin, the Geauga County Safety Center in Chardon, the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio in Stryker, the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown, and the Mahoning County Justice Center in Youngstown.
There were 1,069 people in Butler County Jail as of Wednesday. The general housing capacity for Butler County Jail is 844, even though the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction recommends 756 as the housing capacity, according to a July ODRC inspection report.
State Rep. Latyna Humphrey, D-Columbus, is putting forth a resolution that reaffirms a lawmaker’s right to enter an Ohio immigration detention centers at any time.
“As elected officials, this is our moral and ethical obligation to ensure that our detention facilities are humane,” Humphrey said.
State Reps. Erika White, D-Springfield Township, and Anita Somani, D-Dublin, introduced a bill that would require the governor’s approval before National Guard troops are stationed in Ohio.
“This bill reaffirms the governor’s right to decline a president’s request to deploy the National Guard in Ohio under Title 32, for law enforcement purposes,” White said.
The bills will be introduced in the coming weeks and will be assigned bill numbers.
Originally published by the Ohio Capital Journal. Republished here with permission.