An Ohio sheriff is taking a different approach to dealing with illegal immigrants following President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportation. Instead of cracking down on them, he is choosing to open the jail doors for these individuals in Butler County, Ohio.
Sheriff prepares for potential deportations
What You Need To Know
-
- Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said he’s making room in his jail for mass deportations
-
- Jones said he has room for 200 or more illegal immigrants, but he has to move inmates around to free up the space.
- Jones said no one from Trump’s transition team has contacted him about mass deportations but Jones says he wanted to be ready
-
-
- Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said he’s making room in his jail for mass deportations
-
-
-
- Jones said he has room for 200 or more illegal immigrants, but he has to move inmates around to free up the space
-
-
- Jones said no one from Trump’s transition team has contacted him about mass deportations but Jones says he wanted to be ready
Concerns have been raised among the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, ever since the President-elect made a campaign promise that has implications for their future. Many are worried about the possibility of being compelled to return to their home country.
According to Trump, Springfield will be the starting point for the largest deportation in our country.
“I have nothing left in Haiti now. Ketlie Moise, a Haitian restaurant owner in Springfield, lamented, “My house and business both burned, and I tragically lost my mother.”
Richard Jones, the sheriff of Butler County, is already taking action about an hour away from Springfield.
Jones mentioned that they began preparing their space the day after the election.
According to Jones, he is preparing the jail to accommodate the mass deportations promised by Trump. He mentioned that they have enough space to house over 200 illegal immigrants, a number that they used to cater to on a regular basis.
Jones revealed that their facility used to accommodate prisoners for ICE. However, the new president instructed them not to get involved in such matters, which led them to discontinue housing ICE detainees.
According to him, he hasn’t communicated with anyone from Trump’s transition team about the influx of illegal immigrants coming to the Butler County Jail. However, he did mention that he is rearranging inmates to create space for the anticipated increase in numbers.
“We are currently in the process of shutting down one pod to perform maintenance on it. Once that is complete, we will proceed to shut down another pod. This timing works out well for us as we can expedite the maintenance process and create more space,” explained Jones.
According to him, there is a specific purpose behind the effort he is putting into it.
“I am committed to fulfilling the wishes of my constituents, who are the ones I answer to. They strongly advocate against allowing individuals in the country illegally to remain. Moreover, they are concerned about having non-English speaking students in our schools who may not even have proper shot records or proof of age. These are significant considerations that we must address,” expressed Jones.
During her campaign, the sheriff of Hamilton County stated that illegal immigrants constitute a small portion of the inmate population there.
“We processed a total of 70 individuals who were undocumented immigrants within a span of one year at our jail. This is a significant number considering that we handle a daily average of 1,200 prisoners,” revealed Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey of Hamilton County.
Jones is ready for Trump’s new approach to immigration enforcement, especially given his promise of mass deportations.
Jones expressed his determination to contribute towards the removal of these individuals who pose a threat to our nation.
