In a few months, Ohio voters will no longer be allowed to vote with utility bills or other non-photo documents as proof of identification, when a new law goes into effect, requiring voters to present strict forms of photo ID at the polls.

Samantha Searls, program manager at the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, explained older residents, people in rural communities and others who do not drive will have to obtain a new state photo ID, most commonly in the form of a driver's license.

And under the law, new Ohio driver's licenses will be required to list citizenship status.

"Not only do people have to get a photo ID to vote, but that photo ID has to list someone's citizenship status on it," Searls pointed out.

In a statement, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said election integrity is a significant concern to Americans on both sides of the political aisle, and he believes the new law addresses their concerns.

Searls pointed out photo IDs explicitly stating citizenship status put non-documented residents at risk for discrimination when withdrawing money from the bank, renting a car, entering a government building, purchasing alcohol, and other everyday activities.

"That means that if someone was DACA, or if someone who was a refugee gets pulled over, they're discriminated against even more because of the fact that 'noncitizen' is listed on their license," Searls contended.

Searls added the new law sends a message to the state's more than half a million immigrants, many of whom are naturalized citizens. According to the American Immigration Council, more than 90,000 undocumented immigrants live in the state.

"Unfortunately, the anti-immigrant rhetoric in Ohio has been really bad and has led to concrete situations of harm against immigrant communities," Searls observed.

The Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans, and Union Veterans and other groups have sued the state over the new law, arguing it imposes severe burdens disproportionately on the young, elderly and Black voters.

Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.

Leaders at the 5th annual Immigration Summit, which wrapped up in Los Angeles Friday, have vowed to stand strong no matter what happens with the November election.

The Republican candidate for president has called for mass deportations.

Miguel Santana, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation, said it alarms many people in a county where more than one-third of the residents of all ethnicities are foreign-born, and about 60% of children have at least one immigrant parent.

"We've been engaged in scenario planning," Santana explained. "We've prepared our immigrant community so that they know their rights, that we have the proper defense, but also, we're advancing comprehensive immigration reform. That is really what's needed."

The summit was co-sponsored by the California Community Foundation, the Council of Immigrant Inclusion and the Equity Research Institute at the University of Southern California.

Manuel Pastor, director of the institute, said deportations would leave a huge hole in the economy and tear families apart.

"In L.A. County, about a fifth of all Angelenos are either undocumented themselves or living with a family member who is undocumented," Pastor pointed out. "Fear of deportation, problems with accessing services because of status, affect a wide number of families."

Researchers also released the 5th annual State of Immigrants in Los Angeles report, which found naturalizations and wages for immigrants are up over the past few years. It also recommended continued support for county programs providing legal aid and help people access services in their preferred language.


get more stories like this via email

The Missouri House of Representatives has formed a special committee to look into what the House Speaker refers to as crimes committed by immigrants living illegally in Missouri.

The formation of this committee has sparked a debate between those who see it as a necessary step for public safety and those who view it as a misuse of resources driven by political motives.

House Speaker Dean Plocher - R-St. Louis County - said he's convinced this committee's findings will increase the safety of Missourians.

"The message needs to be," said Plocher, "'If you're not here in the state of Missouri legally, you're going to be detained - and you're going to be deported if you're committing crimes.'"

Data provided by Customs and U.S. Border Protection show last year, there were more than 1,200 violent crimes by committed non-citizens in the U.S. nationwide, and more than 2,000 related to drug trafficking and possession.

The first committee hearing will be in Jefferson City on July 11.

State Rep. David Tyson Smith - D-Columbia - said this isn't an issue in Missouri, and believes the committee is a waste of time and resources. He said it's all being done for political talking points.

"If we are really serious about these issues," said Smith, "we would form a special committee on gun violence to crack down on the shootings that are happening all over our state, that need to be clamped down on."

Studies have repeatedly shown that immigrants - legal and illegal - are more law abiding than people born here.

Research from The Marshall Project has found no correlation between undocumented immigrants and a rise in violent crimes.

However, some committee members believe people living in the U.S. illegally are to blame for an increase in Fentanyl and sex trafficking.




get more stories like this via email

A "Dreamer" running for the New Mexico Senate said a Biden administration plan to create pathways allowing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals beneficiaries to more quickly gain legal status could encourage others to follow her lead.

Cindy Nava bested her primary opponent earlier this month to face Republican Audrey Trujillo in November for the state's Senate District 9 seat. Nava was the first DACA recipient to receive a presidential appointment as Senior Policy Advisor to the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.

Nava worked in the New Mexico Statehouse on behalf of Democratic lawmakers for a decade but could not get paid because she was undocumented. She eventually enrolled in the DACA program and became a U.S. citizen through marriage.

"I believe our families come from a place where we have always been afraid and my own parents tell me day to day," Nava pointed out. "But we learn to live with that fear and build resilience to work forward."

The 12-year-old DACA program provides protection from deportation and work authorization for undocumented young people who arrived as children and grew up in the U.S. The recent Biden initiative would allow those who have earned a college degree and received an offer of employment from a U.S. employer in a field related to their degree to more quickly receive work visas.

Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Nava grew up in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. She noted the U.S. population is shifting and predicted soon, DACA recipients will be occupying seats in Congress. She believes they need a more stable pathway, requiring bipartisan cooperation at all levels of government.

"New Mexico's a great example of having leaders who have invested in opening opportunities for immigrants, from educational opportunities to driver's licenses for immigrants," Nava emphasized. "All of those things actually can be undertaken at a state level, and can be deeply meaningful."

There are currently about 600,000 DACA recipients across the country, with more than 75% in the workforce.


get more stories like this via email