By Candice Brooks
Staff Writer
Often mentioned in the same breath in the immigration policy debate, Butler County Commissioner Michael Fox and county Sheriff Richard K. Jones nonetheless are far apart on what national immigration reform should look like.
Publicly ridiculing his fellow Republicans, such as House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., for stubbornly avoiding a middle ground, Fox has been busy with the newly formed Fix it Now coalition. He wants it to lobby Congress to pass comprehensive legislation that combines border security and enforcement with a guest worker program and pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, Jones calls guest worker programs and a pathway to citizenship nothing more than synonyms for amnesty. He continues to fight to gain local enforcement power to deport illegal immigrants and inflict stiffer penalties on employers and illegal immigrants breaking the law.
Though the two are friends and share enthusiasm for national airtime and ink, when it comes to immigration policy they agree to disagree.
Both insist, though, that they want some action before the November election — before congress gets comfortable and less motivated in a new term.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or cbrooks@coxohio.com.
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Butler County Sheriff RICHARD K. JONES |
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Butler County Commissioner MICHAEL FOX |
| Republican |
PARTY AFFILIATION |
Republican |
| Supports securing the borders with enforcement, not a “Great Wall” because it would be too costly and time-consuming. | BORDER SECURITY |
Wants a wall or fence built along all U.S. borders in addition to more technology and manpower to police the borders. |
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Thinks 800,000 local law enforcement officers would be more effective than 6,000 federal immigration officers. Wants to make it a felony to be an illegal immigrant so local officers can “arrest anybody for trespassing in the U.S.” |
ENFORCEMENT |
Advocate of direct local authority to enforce immigration law and increased resources to enforcement, but does not want “our jails filled with people who just wanted a job.” |
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“No matter what they call it, it’s amnesty. Just because you come from a country that is poor and downtrodden doesn’t mean you can violate the law. They (should) go back to where they came from and go through the legal process.” |
GUEST WORKERS, CITIZENSHIP PATHWAY |
Supports such measures with no limits on the number accepted as long as immigrants register, have no felony convictions or communicable diseases, demonstrate English proficiency within a period of time, and have been hired to a U.S. job at the time of application. |
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Says he has not and cannot do raids. Rather, he’s “educating” businesses and has assisted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Jones sent letters last week to local representatives to accelerate approval of his application to obtain local enforcement power and training for officers and intends to hire a retired federal immigration officer in three weeks to speed up training. |
TAKING ACTION |
Formed the Fix it Now coalition to push proposals to restrict hiring of illegal immigrants through building permits, gain local immigration enforcement power, and provide “whistle-blower protection” to illegal workers being abused by employers paying low wages and evading labor expenses. |
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“They were elected to make tough decisions ... If it’s too hot in the kitchen, get out of the kitchen.” |
FIX IT NOW |
“Once the election is over the desire to deal with this issue will melt away. They should not take one day of vacation until they resolve this issue.” |