Butler County Sheriff's Office

[Public Info Officer]

June 5th, 2007
For Immediate Release….

Opposition to federal immigration legislation by Sheriff Jones and Representative Combs prompts plans for Ohio House Resolution

(Butler County, Ohio) - Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones and State Representative Courtney Combs today announced they are proposing a resolution be introduced in the Ohio House to help ensure the voice of Ohio residents are heard in Washington regarding proposed changes to federal immigration laws. Both Representative Combs and Sheriff Jones are convinced that Ohio should pass a “Resolution of Non-Support” for immigration reform as currently proposed in the US Congress.

“I strongly believe the vast majority of my constituents do not favor any kind of amnesty for those immigrants who have simply sneaked into our country while the federal government turned a blind eye toward our borders,” said Sheriff Jones. “For the federal government to try to fix the mess they created by basically forgetting that millions of immigrants committed crimes by entering our country illegally is ridiculous.”

In addition to amnesty issues, Combs and Jones are equally concerned with making sure that the US borders are sealed to the point that illegal entry to the US can be controlled and believe there should be requirements for the right to immigrate to America, including learning the English language.

“There should also be strict requirements that immigrants be required to speak English before gaining any preferred legal status in the US,” said Rep. Combs. “If they want to live here, have all the privileges of life here in this great country, they should be required to speak our language. We shouldn’t have to learn theirs or provide interpreters at taxpayer cost to help educate their children.”

Combs plans to draft the “Resolution of Non-Support of Immigration Reform” and once drafted, state leadership can help ensure the resolution is actually brought to the floor of the state legislature for formal hearing and discussion.

Prepared by: Sgt. Monte Mayer, BCSO Public Information Offier and Jarrod Weiss, Office of State Rep. Combs