Greater Cincinnati nurses and teachers unions say legislation in the Ohio General Assembly aiding ICE would hurt people they serve.
Four of those groups held a news conference at UC Health's Corryville Campus Wednesday asking state lawmakers to reject bills currently under consideration in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Those bills — HB26, HB281, HB544 and HB200 — would, respectively:
- require local law enforcement to notify ICE if they believe they have a person without immigration status in their custody;
- make it easier for federal agents to undertake immigration enforcement actions in places like hospitals and schools;
- make it a felony to impede federal immigration agents;
- make it a state crime to be in Ohio without immigration status.
Republicans who introduced the legislation have said they're necessary to increase public safety and help federal agents do their jobs efficiently. The bills are in committee now.
'They carry real consequences'
Steve Mockabee is president of UC's chapter of American Association of University Professors. He said making it easier for ICE to access places like universities could make his students less safe.
"It might not seem that a bunch of professors would care about immigration policy, but we do," he said. "Because it's fundamental to our students, staff and faculty to be able to do their work and learn without being in an environment of fear and anxiety."
Cincinnati Registered Nurses Association President Kylee Ham echoed those sentiments at Wednesday's news conference.
"I'm here today to ask state lawmakers to reject the various bills that would make schools and hospitals less safe by opening them to various immigration actions," she said.
Representatives from the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers and Faculty Alliance of Miami also were at the news conference. CFT President Julie Sellers said the legislation could have a big impact on K-12 students in Cincinnati.
"We know it will have big impact for our students' attendance — we are already seeing that," she said. "That's not fair to any child, to have to live their lives in fear. These are not abstract policy debates. They carry real consequences for educators, schools and thousands of families across our state."
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