By Colette Cόrdova
October 19, 2025: Ohio has made a far-right turn. Not only were there false claims of Haitians eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio by Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, Governor Mike DeWine unnecessarily sent the Ohio National Guard to Washington D.C. this year. While out of their normal course of duties, you could see on the news the guard picking up trash and raking leaves; hardly a national emergency.
Now Ohio is trying to pass anti-immigration laws, and one has almost made it. Unfortunately, someone right in our own backyard originally from Toledo, Ohio, has been pushing this legislation. Representative Josh Williams, (R-44, Sylvania Township) the new House Majority Whip, who is up for reelection November 3, 2026, has introduced legislation four times. Representative Williams, a lawyer, wants to make federal laws, state crimes; he wants agencies to collect data on immigrants as well as allow ICE in schools. He is also suggesting that state agencies such as Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, Job and Family Services, Education and Workforce, and Medicaid track people they interact with who are not in the country irregularly.
It should be noted that currently undocumented individuals cannot receive Medicaid or Medicare. However, in 1986, President Ronald Reagan (R) signed into in law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which requires hospitals to treat patients in need of emergency care regardless of their ability to pay, citizenship, or legal status.
Currently, Senate Bill 172 is progressing through the Ohio legislature. This bill has progressed through the Senate, passing in June 2025, and is currently awaiting discussion and potential voting in the House. As of now, SB172 is in the House Public Safety Committee, pending further action. It should be noted that the ACLU provided opponent testimony on June 11, 2025. One issue presented was that “SB172 will override two local rules recently adopted by the Franklin County Common Pleas Court prohibiting the arrest of persons, without a judicial warrant or judicial order, in a courthouse or on courthouse grounds.” Additionally, Lynn Tamonte, Director of Ohio Immigrant Alliance, has also opposed SB172 stating that it could turn Ohio into a “police state” by allowing local police to act as immigration officials instilling fear into the communities.
For more details regarding the opposition to SB172 go to: https://www.acluohio.org/news/senate-bill-172-opponent-testimony/
To see the entire bill go to https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/sb172
Below is the timeline of the Legislative Progress for SB172:
DATE ACTION
April 8, 2025 Introduced in the Senate
April 9, 2025 Referred to the Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee
June 12, 2025 Reported favorably by the committee
June 18, 2025 Passed by the Senate (Vote: 23-8)
June 23, 2025 Introduced in the House
September 15, 2025 Referred to the House Public Safety Committee
Key Details
Sponsors: The bill is sponsored by several Republican senators, including Kristina Roegner and Andrew Brenner.
Purpose: The bill aims to specify that individuals unlawfully present in the U.S. are not privileged from arrest.
Current Location: Senate Bill 172 is in the House Public Safety Committee.
Below are the four House Bills Representative Williams has introduced, as stated above, which illustrate his robust anti-immigration stance.
House Bill 666-September 2024. “Protecting Ohio Communities Act” strips sanctuary city protections, targets immigrant communities and requires law enforcement across the state to actively assist federal immigration officials.
House Bill 26- January 2025. Reintroduced the “Protecting Ohio Communities Act” would defund sanctuary cities and penalizes them for refusing to work with federal officers on immigration enforcement. Cleveland immigration lawyer, Aleksandar Cuic, states the new bill “kind of blurs the line of what local law enforcement duties are” compared to federal ICE agents and invites racial profiling. Gary Daniels, chief lobbyist of ACLU Ohio, says the bill is not necessary for ICE to do their jobs. “The question is… does local law enforcement have to participate? No, they do not and that has been, you know, that way for a long, long time….it unfairly places a variety of burdens on local government.”
House Bill 282-May 2025. wants judges to consider immigration status in setting bail, parole, and sentences. Critics cite the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, which applies to “any person” within state jurisdiction, with no distinctions regarding U.S. Citizens, green card holders, or non-citizens.
House Bill 281-June 2025. Proposes to withhold Medicaid funding from hospitals who refuse to cooperate with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE).
These draconian laws give local police federal authority, dehumanizes immigrants, most of whom are brown or of Latin descent in our area, while hurting our community. Driving while black still exists, and now more than ever driving while brown has become outright scary for many across the country, with masked ICE agents randomly grabbing people out of their cars or off the street, with the blessing of the Supreme Court of the United States saying if you are brown, you can be stopped without cause. The white power structure has pitted the first black, Republican Representative in Ohio in 50 years against brown immigrants when both are in the same struggle: for civil rights.
Please contact your representative in the Ohio House asking them to Oppose moving forward Senate Bill 172 as well contacting those on the House Public Safety Committee at: https://ohiohouse.gov/committees/public-safety
Cindy Abrams, Chair-District 29-R 614-466-9091
Kevin Miller, Vice Chair-District 69-R 614-466-2500
Cecil Thomas-Ranking Member-District 25-D 614-466-1645
Juanita Brent-District 18-D 614-466-1408
Darnell Brewer-District 22-D 614-466-1414
Haraz Ghanbari-District 75-R 614-466-8104
Thomas Hall-District 26-R 614-466-5094
Latyna Humphrey-District 2-D 614-466-8010
Jeff LeRe-District 73-R 614-466-8100
Diane Mullins-District 47-R 614-644-6721
Phil Plummer-District 39-R 614-644-8051
Bernard Willis-District 74-R 614-466-2038