Bill Introduced To Combat Illegal Immigration
Reported by: Bill Price
Email: bprice@wcpo.com
Photographed By: Dwayne Slavey
Last Update: 1:38 pm


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Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones and Hamilton State Representative Courtney Combs announced new legislation Thursday to combat what they say are high rates of illegal immigration in Ohio.

The pair held a news conference to support Combs' new bill, the "Ohio Job Integrity Preservation Act" that he is introducing to the Ohio legislature.

It calls on all public and private employers to check their employees' information against a free social security Internet database called "E-Verify" to make sure their applicants are legal residents.

The bill would also open up more entry level jobs for legal U.S. residents.

"With Ohio's unemployment rate increasing, this legislation would provide much needed job opportunities for Ohioans," said Combs.

Sheriff Jones says its now a myth that Americans won't take the jobs that many illegal immigrants are working. He says many white collar professionals are now accepting blue collar labor jobs, simply to have an income. Jones adds, "Ohio's economy and citizens are suffering due to a lack of jobs. It's a sad state of affairs."

The sheriff says the new system would provide new heavy fines against employers who deliberately hired illegal immigrants.

Jones says the hope is that by getting employers to stop hiring illegal immigrants, that will take away any incentive for immigrants to come to Ohio to make money for their families. He adds that he hopes another byproduct of the effort will be to reduce crime rates among illegal immigrants.

If enacted, Combs says it could go into effect as early as this July.


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