Ohio Sheriff Calls For Residents To ‘Write Down All The Addresses’ Of Kamala Harris Supporters For Immigrants Who ‘Need Places To Live’
It's yet another example of dangerous, hurtful political rhetoric.
lev radin | Shutterstock The road to the 2024 presidential election has been nothing short of ugly. There has been plenty of bullying and insults, not just from the candidates but also from their supporters.
As some people have taken on their preferred candidate's policies as their personality, circumstances have turned downright dangerous. One example exists in Ohio, where a sheriff encouraged his constituents to keep track of one candidate's supporters.
A sheriff in Ohio asked residents to keep track of Kamala Harris supporters so unhoused immigrants can live with them.
According to WKYC 3, Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski is the sheriff of Portage County, where he was elected to office in 2021.
On September 13, Zuchowski made an interesting request to his Facebook followers. He asked that they note the addresses of Harris supporters.
Zuchowski's post read, "When people ask me… What's gonna happen if the Flip-Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? I say…write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards! Sooo…when the Illegal human "Locust" (which she supports!) Need places to live… We'll already have the addresses of the their New families…who supported their arrival!"
As can be interpreted from his Facebook post, the sheriff suggested that those who oppose Harris' immigration policies keep a record of where her supporters live. Then, if Harris wins, all of the immigrants can be sent to live with her supporters.
Trump and Harris have very different immigration policies, contributing to this divide.
While there really is no excuse for a public official suggesting citizens "write down" their neighbors' addresses so immigrants can be forced to move in with them, there is a stark difference between Trump's and Harris' immigration policies. This difference is no doubt adding to the divisiveness between the two sides.
The Peterson Institute for International Economics compared both candidates' immigration plans and highlighted the differences between them.
Per the Peterson Institute, Trump "promises to carry out the 'largest domestic deportation operation in American history,' which would require relocating military troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, authorizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids of workplaces, denying due process to unauthorized migrants, constructing additional ICE detention facilities along the southern border and overturning the Flores settlement, which provides protections for migrant children."
Meanwhile, Harris' immigration policy hinges largely on a "bipartisan border deal" supported by the Biden administration that has failed to pass Congress twice so far. The Vice President is also advocating for "increased funding for border agents, detention facilities, and fentanyl detection technology," the Peterson Institute noted.
Immigration in Ohio has taken center stage in the campaign.
The National Immigration Forum reported that there are currently 107,000 undocumented immigrants living in Ohio. This is far from the only time they have been in the news.
Over the last several weeks, Trump, as well as his running mate, JD Vance, have garnered attention for spreading what NBC called "baseless rumors" about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating other residents' pets.
Springfield is located in Clark County, which is almost on the other side of the state from Portage County. Still, it is an interesting coincidence that immigration has made news in both Ohio locations.
Regardless of news in other Ohio counties, Sheriff Zuchowski's words are disturbing, to say the least. Aside from the fact that he essentially invited citizens to spy on each other, he also dehumanized immigrants, referring to them as "locusts."
This kind of polarizing behavior should not be expected or tolerated by an elected official. However, in our country, it has become commonplace.
Political figures regularly mock and belittle their opponents and those they simply disagree with.
If our country continues in this direction, we will likely only see a greater divide. Regardless of where you fall on the political divide, no person deserves to be disrespected or bullied, whether a natural citizen and neighbor or someone looking for a better life.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.