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Columbus Legislation on ICE Represents a ‘Dangerous Direction’

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Rebecca Downs / @RebeccaRoseGold

Rebecca Downs is the Ohio correspondent for The Daily Signal. Send an email to Rebecca.

The Columbus City Council unveiled legislation last Tuesday sparking heated debate on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s role as well as what constitutes sanctuary city policies.

One proposal would prohibit Columbus police from entering into enforcement agreements with ICE, as ABC 6 highlighted.

Regarding such a provision, a representative from Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla’s office told The Daily Signal that “it is not the Councilmember’s intention to make Columbus a sanctuary city; it is her intention to protect the residents of Columbus.” Barroso de Padilla co-hosted the hearing.

State Rep. Josh Williams, a Republican who represents Toledo and who has been vocal on immigration, disagreed. Williams warned that “Columbus City Council is moving in a dangerous direction” in sending “a clear message that Columbus is more interested in protecting illegal immigrants than protecting law-abiding citizens.”

He also expressed concerns about sanctuary policies.

“If Columbus prohibits cooperation agreements and restricts enforcement coordination, then the city is clearly moving toward sanctuary-style policies. Ohio cannot afford to become a safe haven for those who violate our laws. Public safety must come first,” Williams told The Daily Signal.

Those who weighed in addressed public safety, but with differing views on the role ICE plays.

Barroso de Padilla in a press release declared a “responsibility as local leaders is to protect the trust that keeps our communities safe.”

“Columbus will continue to focus city resources on serving residents—not on federal immigration enforcement. We are standing firmly in support of dignity, due process and the welcoming spirit that defines our city,” she added.

Democrat Mayor Andrew Ginther shares views on Columbus as a “welcoming” city.

“Mayor Ginther’s 2017 executive order remains in effect and makes clear that City of Columbus resources will not be used to support immigration enforcement unless there is evidence of a crime,” Deputy Chief of Staff Jennifer Fening told The Daily Signal. “Council’s legislation reiterates his stance and identifies additional opportunities to show our residents that Columbus is a place where everyone deserves to feel safe, valued, and that their rights are respected. Columbus is, and will remain, a city for all.”

It’s a view the Department of Homeland Security does not share. A spokesperson told The Daily Signal that such policies “would make Columbus less safe as a direct result.”

The spokesperson also explained partnership efforts, warning about what happens when those efforts are limited.

“Our partnerships with state and local law enforcement are key to removing criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists from American communities. When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with us, that is when we have to have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities,” the spokesperson shared.

Lora Ries, director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, concurred. “Does the council wish to have murderers, rapists, and pedophiles continue to live in their community? Because that is who they are protecting when they block ICE. They would be more honest if they just admitted that they don’t want anyone deported to hang on to their political power,” she told The Daily Signal.

Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of the Police, Capital City Lodge #9, spoke about both sides, including the role the city plays.

“Our officers enforce state laws and local ordinances in accordance with statutory authority, constitutional standards, agency policies, and established directives. Municipal officers do not enforce federal civil immigration law. However, we have an absolute duty to assist our federal law enforcement partners when there is evidence of a criminal offense, a valid judicial warrant, or when any officer—local, state, or federal—is in danger of serious bodily harm,” Steel said.

Steel also called on elected officials to work together. “Our shared goal should be clear: provide effective public safety, strengthen community trust, and focus our collective efforts on removing violent offenders from our streets—regardless of immigration status,” he continued.

Other provisions, highlighted by Spectrum News 1, encourage ICE officers to clearly display badges and names as well as avoid face coverings.

“When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement,” DHS explained. Masks are for officer protection, DHS reminded, pointing to increased attacks on agents. “Sanctuary politicians attempting to ban our federal law enforcement from wearing masks is despicable and a flagrant attempt to endanger our officers,” the spokesperson added.

One area of agreement is that the city has limits.

“The City of Columbus does not have authority over federal immigration operations,” the press release acknowledged. “We cannot ignore federal law or federal policy,” ABC 6 quoted Barroso de Padilla as saying.

It’s a limit DHS emphasized. “The Supremacy Clause makes it clear that Columbus’ sanctuary politicians do not control federal law enforcement.”

Ries echoed such sentiments as well, telling The Daily Signal, “Immigration law is federal law and states and localities cannot nullify federal law.”

Williams agreed. “Federal immigration enforcement is not optional. It is the law of the land. Policies that obstruct cooperation or create barriers for federal officers undermine public safety and make it harder to remove criminal illegal aliens from our communities.”

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