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.
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Immigration and deportation are key topics in this week's Tennessee legislative session, and a local nonprofit group is helping residents prepare for possible deportation.
Nationwide, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reports more than 900 arrests since the Trump administration has started following through on its promise of a "mass deportation."
Luis Mata, a communications officer for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, called for immigration reform while criticizing President Donald Trump's immigration executive order that expands detention. He added that they are helping Tennessee's 400,000 immigrants prepare, not panic.
"Communities across the state are prepared to protect ourselves and our families," he said, "and we're doing that through continuing to build our robust network of organizations, community leaders, community members, who are ready to step up and make sure that we all have what we need to build the good life and to live up to Tennessee values."
Gov. Bill Lee has proposed strengthening immigration enforcement across Tennessee by creating a new division within the Department of Safety, supporting local law enforcement participation in federal programs and considering state-issued IDs.
Mata argued that mass deportation would lead to labor shortages and hurt businesses already struggling to build a reliable workforce.
"Immigrants are deeply rooted in Tennessee and our communities," he said. "We are part of not just the social and cultural fabric of the state and country, but equally importantly, we are part of the fabric that makes our economy thrive."
The Trump administration has issued an executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants born in the United States. Several states are suing over the issue; Tennessee isn't one of them.
Mata said eliminating birthright citizenship would violate the Constitution.
"Birthright citizenship has been protected by the 14th Amendment for over 150 years," he said. "And what it is, it's a simple standard of determining who is American without the color of your skin, without ancestry, racialized citizenship is a thing of the past, and should remain that way."
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A new report found New York State will face massive economic and fiscal effects from mass deportations.
The report showed industries such as hospitality, child care, farming and construction will face workforce shortages due to mass deportations. It noted New York will lose out on more than $3 billion in taxes from undocumented immigrants.
David Dyssegaard Kallick, director of the Immigration Research Initiative, said there are ways the state can reduce the harsh impacts.
"The state doesn't need to be part of the enforcement of federal immigration laws," Kallick pointed out. "It's very important for the state to say, 'We're not going to allow city and state law enforcement agents to get drawn into this process of detaining people for immigration or turning people over to ICE and immigration authorities.'"
Although President Donald Trump is determined to carry out mass deportations, there has been little evidence of their benefits. The report indicated giving undocumented immigrants a path to legal status would increase local and state tax revenue by $900 million. Another effect mass deportations would have is population loss for upstate New York municipalities, reversing economic gains made in recent years.
Carrying out mass deportations may present logistic challenges but even losing a small portion of New York's undocumented population comes with economic consequences, such as higher living costs for all New Yorkers.
Emily Eisner, chief economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute, said the state cannot handle losing so many workers.
"We might see fewer child care facilities offering fewer spots for kids, or we might see reductions in how many older adults or disabled adults can get home health care," Eisner emphasized. "Which will then place burden on family members in both of those cases."
She added the construction industry would face similar challenges with costs rising and fewer projects being completed and mass deportations would only exacerbate the state's ongoing housing and child care shortages.
Small businesses would be affected too, because 1 million undocumented immigrants nationally run businesses, which generated more than $27 billion in 2022.
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The mass deportation plan promised by President Donald Trump shows no signs of slowing down after his first week back in office.
Church leaders in Minnesota and elsewhere renewed their calls for places of worship to be off limits. A key difference between ICE raids under the new administration and those in Trump's first term is that a rule was revoked this month to no longer consider churches and schools "sensitive locations." From 2011 until now, they were largely shielded from agents entering the site in pursuit of an undocumented person.
Nicholas Tangen, assistant to the bishop for the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which supports local Lutheran parishes, worries about the potential effect on congregations.
"It may have a really chilling effect for folks in our communities, not just Christians, but folks of all faith backgrounds," Tangen explained. "(It) might prevent folks from attending religious services or going to places of worship; places where they've found comfort and safety and community for so long."
Tangen echoed arguments about the trauma families might experience when a relative is detained in these settings. For now, his team is trying to limit false rumors while reminding congregants about their rights. ICE agents still need a judicial warrant before entering a private area of a church. The Department of Homeland Security emphasized enforcement teams are being trusted to use common sense.
Lutheran church leaders said they remain committed to supporting migrant children and families, adding it's a long-standing Christian mindset to "welcome the stranger." Tangen added human dignity should not be lost in the broader debate over immigration policy.
"I don't think anybody should have to live in such profound fear that there are no places where they can find respite," Tangen emphasized.
Immigrant advocates also worry the scope of these deportations will deter people from getting medical care they need or kids from attending school. In a statement announcing the rule changes, DHS officials noted they are empowering agents to enforce immigration laws and "catch criminal aliens - including murderers and rapists - who have illegally come into our country."
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