Thread: Sheriff establishes unit to investigate the hiring

Sheriff establishes unit to investigate the hiring of illegal immigrants
By Mary Lolli

By Mary Lolli



Staff Writer

HAMILTON — Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones is mobilizing a special unit of deputies to investigate reports about local businesses allegedly hiring illegal immigrants.

Jones said Thursday his office in recent months had been inundated with information and complaints about undocumented workers.

Calling it a “public service,” Jones is now sending deputies to those businesses to remind employers about federal laws prohibiting the employment of illegal immigrants and to assist in the prosecution of employers violating those laws.

Jones said he realizes that some employers may “inadvertently” have an illegal or undocumented alien on their payroll. So deputies from his fugitive division are initially being dispatched to area businesses and job sites to make employers aware that allegations have been made concerning their hiring practices.

Jones said he not only wants to make businesses aware of complaints, but also intends to assist them in confirming the legal status of employees suspected to be illegal aliens.

“Their first priority is to seek out and arrest those individuals who have been classified as ‘criminal aliens’ (illegal aliens who have been convicted of crimes unrelated to their citizens status),” Jones stated in a release issued Thursday.

“Their second priority is to assist area businesses in achieving compliance with federal immigration laws,” he said. “Their third priority would be to assist in the investigation and prosecution of area businesses and employers who choose to ignore the law.”

Lastly, Jones said the unit will also be working with federal agents to facilitate the deportation of illegal aliens found within the county.

Jones is asking the public for assistance in tracking down illegal aliens by providing information via the sheriff’s Web site at www.butlersheriff.org, or by writing the Butler County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, 705 Hanover St., Hamilton OH 45011.


Contact this reporter at (513) 810-2192 or mlolli@coxohio.com

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Editorial: Fox, Jones focus on real culprits
Some of the rhetoric about illegal immigration coming out of Hamilton — from certain Butler County officials — has been alarming at times, because its effect has been to send a chilling message of intolerance and suspicion to those who are part of the county’s growing Hispanic population.

So it’s been encouraging to see county officials — the lead players being Sheriff Richard K. Jones and Commissioner Michael Fox — focus more attention on the businesses that make jobs available to illegal immigrants, and thus quietly attract them here in growing numbers.

That change in focus — complete with self-serving highway billboards featuring the sheriff’s tough-love image — may not have eased tensions in the Hispanic communities of Butler County yet, but it has rightfully shifted attention toward those who exploit illegals and away from those who have unfortunately cut corners to come here and find their version of the American dream.

Earlier this month, Fox — continuing to blame Washington for allowing the border problem to explode — revived his 10-point program to crack down on builders who hire illegal immigrants and to allow the county to monitor employers’ compliance with immigration laws. Other commissioners, while urging caution, have apparently agreed to conduct hearings on the plan, which has now drawn favorable attention from Mike Kilburn, a commissioner in neighboring Warren County, another hotbed of new construction.

Last week Jones announced that he is mobilizing a special unit of deputies to investigate complaints about local businesses hiring illegals. Jones said his office has been flooded with complaints about undocumented workers since he has publicly called attention to the problems and costs to taxpayers associated with illegal immigrants.

We’re not sure that this is the best use of deputies’ time, but it’s certainly consistent with Jones’ unabashed campaign to draw attention to the issue — and to himself. From the feedback we’ve received, Jones has hit a nerve with average Butler Countians who are concerned about the local economy and their own futures, and like any smart politician, he knows he has a winning issue and will continue to lead the charge.

But his voice is now just one of thousands who are debating immigration, and the marches by immigrants in major U.S. cities have helped to enlighten Americans about this complex issue, the intense desires of many Mexicans and Latin Americans to come here for better lives, and our national leaders who continue to spin their wheels. “The federal government is paralyzed,” Fox said recently.

A major factor in the government’s inaction has been its tacit permission for the business community to take advantage of millions of illegal immigrants who are willing to work for lower, under-the-table wages, thus avoiding the need to pay minimum or higher wages to American workers. It’s encouraging to see that Americans are finally understanding that simple and cynical equation and — like Fox and Jones — are turning their outrage in the right direction — toward the White House, Congress and the employers who have exploited and manipulated illegal immigrants.