1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I’m writing to urge you to oppose SB 172 and to work hard to make sure it doesn’t pass. This bill would allow an arrest or detention to happen anywhere in Ohio under any circumstances. Federal, state, or local law enforcement officers could arrest people with or without a warrant for nearly any reason if they claim it’s related to immigration. It would be very easy for this bill to be abused or used in error. It could easily lead to the arrest of legal American residents and even citizens. We’ve already seen examples of this happening. There are also very good reasons to allow the “privilege” exceptions this bill would eliminate, especially in certain public spaces. For example, the court has a responsibility to ensure due process, which is hard to do when victims, witnesses, and defendants won’t come to the courthouse to testify and participate in cases because they fear arrest. Trial fairness is jeopardized, which hurts citizens as well as non-citizens. I urge the Senator to say NO to SB 172, and persuade his colleagues to do the same. This bill hurts all of us.