COLUMBUS, Ohio — Illegal immigrants in the Buckeye State will soon be put behind bars and fined hundreds of dollars if the statehouse passes new legislation aimed at punishing people in the country illegally — which comes as questions continue to swirl around the Haitian migrant surge in Springfield.
The America First Act is set to be introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives next week.
The Post exclusively read an early draft of the bill, which aims to support federal immigration law at the state level. GOP state Reps. Gary Click and Nick Santucci are finalizing the language.
New penalties under this legislation include a $500 fine and one year in prison — and double that for repeat offenders.
“The America First Act only addresses immigration already determined to be unlawful on the federal level,” Click said in an email to fellow Republicans in the statehouse. “This bill is not a ‘fix all’ for all immigration related issues, nor can it be. State level policies do not have the power to be comprehensive, but we can be complementary.”
Click said the bill is meant to “send a message” to lawful immigrants who “value America enough to knock and come through the front door.”
“Ohio can do its part to support legal immigration by prioritizing those who follow the law and discouraging those whose very first act in America is to break the law,” he told The Post.
While states don’t have the authority to deport, under this legislation immigration violators will be required to leave Ohio within 72 hours after serving their sentence.
“The America First Act is a necessary measure to keep Ohio’s communities safe. The Biden-Harris immigration policy has put Ohioans at risk by allowing countless unvetted illegal immigrants across our borders,” Santucci told The Post. “This bill will ensure that, at least in Ohio, only those who respect our country enough to enter legally will be able to stay.”
House Democrats’ spokesperson said they were unaware of the impending legislation.
The proposal comes just weeks after Springfield, Ohio, became a microcosm of America’s immigration frustrations as Haitian migrants have overwhelmed the town’s social services. The city made national headlines over allegations some migrants were eating residents’ pets.
But even in Ohio’s Republican-controlled statehouse, this act may be challenging to pass.
And that’s thanks to a politician’s oldest enemy: time.
Legislators “won’t be back until after the election and their General Assembly will end at the end of this year,” a Republican Columbus policy analyst told The Post.
Asked if the act would even be enforceable, he replied, “I’m not sure if it would be, but that’s never stopped the Ohio General Assembly before.”
Immigration is a powerful issue in Ohio, and an aggressive approach could well pay off for the GOP supermajority in the House.
Donald Trump has a comfortable lead over Kamala Harris in the state: 51.5% to 43.3% per the RealClearPolitics average. Two new polls also show Ohio’s Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown trailing his GOP challenger, Bernie Moreno, by 2 points.
