Ohio SB 172 sparks Fourth Amendment concerns

Letter to the Editor,

I am terrified that so many elected officials are abandoning their oath to the Fourth Amendment. The recent vote on Ohio SB 172 is case in point. Twenty-three Ohio senators, including our 31st District senator, Al Landis, supported this un-American piece of legislation. If the bill becomes law, it will allow any person “suspected” of being undocumented to be detained “under any circumstances, with or without a warrant.” This language creates loopholes that undermine every citizen’s Fourth Amendment rights.

Critics of the bill, such as the Ohio ACLU and the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, fear Senate Bill 172 will allow any newly naturalized citizen, person of color or someone who speaks with an accent to be “held in custody” without a warrant signed by a judge, simply because they look “undocumented.” This bill treats our Fourth Amendment rights not as a principle but as something dependent upon our perceived nationality. This is by definition racist.

When our representatives recite the Pledge of Allegiance, I can only hope they recognize the mockery that their vote for SB 172 makes of the words “liberty and justice for all.” Undermining the guarantee of a judicial warrant under the guise of immigration enforcement pushes the country toward tyranny, where no one’s rights are protected.

Please ask our District 77 representative Meredith Craig to vote no on Ohio SB 172. Let her know that we expect her to uphold her oath to the Constitution and the Fourth Amendment guarantees for judicial warrants. Any law that codifies racial or ethnic profiling into Ohio law must be opposed. Let her know that Ohio is a place where the stranger is welcomed, where we love our neighbors and resist those who hate them. She can be reached by email at www.ohiohouse.gov/meredith-craig or by phone at 614-466-1474.

Ruth Sewell

Wooster

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