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Governor Weighs In On Sanctuary Cities Debate: "The President Is Right On This"

Gov. John Kasich speaks at the Ohio Newspaper Association.
Karen Kasler
Gov. John Kasich speaks at the Ohio Newspaper Association.

Republican and Democratic state lawmakers are working up dueling bills on sanctuary cities – communities that say they’ll shield undocumented immigrants from prosecution based on their illegal status. When asked about that at a speech before newspaper executives and editors, Gov. John Kasich was firm on where he stands.

“I think the president is right on this and I think this is a bad, bad thing. When people break the law, they need to be held accountable for something like coming in here illegally or – no, I don’t believe in sanctuary cities.”

Cincinnati and Columbus recently passed sanctuary cities-type legislation – Oberlin, Lorain and Dayton also have similar resolutions or laws. A Republican-sponsored bill would ban sanctuary cities and punish city officials. A Democratic-backed bill would specifically permit cities to pass such legislation.

Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Karen Kasler
Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.