Ohio lawmaker pushes bill to defund sanctuary cities, boost ICE cooperation

An Ohio state legislator is looking to penalize sanctuary cities and push law enforcement to cooperate with federal authorities amid President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.

Ohio state Rep. Josh Williams, a Republican running for U.S. House, is introducing the Protecting Ohio Communities Act, known as House Bill 26, which includes a 10% cut in funds from the state for areas deemed to be “sanctuary jurisdictions.”

“We’ve seen Columbus and Cleveland mayors come out and openly say they’re going to defy this legislation within their city limits because we have home rule authority here in the state of Ohio,” Williams told Fox News Digital.

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Under Ohio’s constitution, home rule authority gives municipalities the “authority to exercise all powers of local self-government and to adopt and enforce within their limits such local police, sanitary and other similar regulations, as are not in conflict with general laws.”

“If you want to have these sanctuary policies, we’re going to defund you,” he added.

Williams said he hopes the Trump administration will follow suit and apply “conditional funding to our states who are refusing to cooperate and even sometimes obstructing our enforcement efforts.”

In the Midwest, one governor in particular has gone toe-to-toe with Trump on immigration enforcement: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Williams accused Pritzker of acting out of anger over Trump’s re-election, and he said it was important for states to back federal policies that Americans voted for.

“The majority of the voters, through a popular vote, elected Donald Trump, and he campaigned on the idea of undergoing the largest immigration enforcement in our nation’s history to remove the millions of illegal immigrants that came across the border during the Biden administration. And we need to support him at every single level to make that happen,” Williams told Fox News Digital.

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Williams also slammed Pritzker and Democratic governors like him for “defying and obstructing federal enforcement efforts” in their states.

“Unfortunately, we have out of touch liberals that are able to afford to live in communities [where] they can avoid the chaos that their policies are creating,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “But the average working family in America can’t afford that.”

Williams, whose hometown is Toledo, cited his own experience living in a poor community and what it means to rely on law enforcement for safety and security.

“When I called 911, I expected law enforcement to respond,” he said. Williams added that law enforcement needs to be able to rely on local partners and know that their counterparts won’t “leave them hanging” because they’re working to enforce federal immigration policies.

The Protecting Ohio Communities Act has a long way to go before it becomes state law. The Ohio legislature’s website shows the bill is in House committee as of Oct. 16.

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Williams said he believes Ohio has become the “epicenter of national politics,” making it a crucial piece of the Trump administration’s work to crack down on illegal immigration.

“We do have a Buckeye in the White House,” Williams said, referring to Vice President JD Vance, an Ohio native who represented the state in the U.S. Senate before being tapped as Trump’s running mate.

“I think you’re gonna continue to see Ohio be a spotlight for change here for the nation,” he added.

Williams is looking to take his fight against sanctuary cities beyond Ohio as he campaigns for Congress. Cracking down on illegal immigration is a major part of his U.S. House campaign platform. Williams’ campaign website lists his priorities as defunding sanctuary cities and states, finishing the border wall, deporting criminal illegal immigrants and supporting law enforcement’s immigration efforts.

“It’s critical we empower our brave law enforcement officers to enforce the laws already on the books as well as give them the resources and authority they need to keep our nation safe,” Williams’ campaign website reads.