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Can Mason, Ohio crack down on illegal immigration?
City Council here agreed Monday to let its safety committee investigate if the city can create local ordinances to crack down on illegal immigration. At the same time, the city Police Department and the Warren County Sheriff's Office announced they may seek federal immigration training for their officers.The moves come after a Mason resident was stabbed to death outside a Mason bar by at least one illegal immigrant. It was first homicide since 2000 in this outer suburb of Cincinnati. Barnhill's father, William Barnhill, helped found Citizens for Legal Communities, a Warren County group seeking to strengthen local immigration enforcement. The group's primary concern is the increase in violent crime it says illegal immigrants bring to the community - and the lack of enforcement power for local authorities. Monday night, the group asked council to consider creating several immigration ordinances including: Making it illegal to harbor, rent or lease residential properties and hotel space for use as an accommodation for an illegal immigrant. The group also encouraged council members to petition state legislators for immigration reform. It wants local law enforcement to have authority to prosecute illegal immigrants. There appears to be a growing trend in communities across the country to enact or consider local laws to deter immigrants from living or working there. The practice has spurred several lawsuits by the American Civil Liberties Union and immigrant groups. In neighboring Butler County, Sheriff Richard Jones last month announced ten of his deputies will be the first in the Midwest to receive training from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The training would allow deputies to enforce federal immigration laws - something the ACLU and the Butler County Community Alliance worry will spur racial profiling. Warren County Sheriff Tom Ariss and Mason Police Chief Ron Ferrell said they want to follow Jones' lead. Posted by: trailing wife 2007-01-23 |
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