Ohio's America First Act Targets Illegal Immigration: $500 Fines and Jail Time Loom for Violators

Tejal Somvanshi Tejal Somvanshi

Led by Republican state Representatives Click and Santucci, Ohio lawmakers propose the “America First Act” that is meant to crack down on illegal immigration by imposing hefty fines, prison sentences and deportation.

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A large reason for this bill is the heavy surge of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, which has seen population increases of over 30%, affecting and causing strain to local economies, healthcare, and education systems.

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Donald Trump currently is leading Kamala Harris in Ohio polls by 51.5% to 43.3% and recent polls have also shown Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown trailing his GOP challenger, Bernie Moreno, by two points; giving more power to this proposed bill.

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[{"selector":"#anim-7f170322-0aa3-4490-8abc-72d6a3da05a5","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5fac4235-05e4-4897-85d0-cb1d5d2409a7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0984c733-7bdd-4328-989b-591f0473cf2a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-88d94850-0780-44af-902b-419add943639","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-116.3522%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cf185491-7da0-4876-a005-c2694e7c363f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] While the bill shows these immigrants in a negative light, it must be noted that many Ohio industries rely heavily on immigrant labor to fill critical shortages which points to the requirement of a comprehensive analysis of the local economy. Photo Source: Google Photo Source: Google

Springfield now houses 20,000 Haitian immigrants, who claim the city's lower cost of living as the reason for their choice to settle there. Some natives express concern of the strain this takes on the local economy, others give credit to the contributions of the migrants.

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[{"selector":"#anim-ca250498-9555-4fae-8a6f-19a84eed1173","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-169499b4-d48d-4b74-9619-a8bd02527c45","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-07158095-0292-4e53-ac7c-8c985cc34b4f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0cb4f7c8-83b7-4b93-815d-2cc7c867b8ac","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-115.09434%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-13a1b30a-2a36-476b-8188-e12087cf7862","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] The Republican nature of Ohio's political and social landscape is reflected in the proposed "America First Act," but the question of how to facilitate the growing population of immigrants continues to be unanswered. Photo Source: Google Photo Source: Google