By Ben Jenkins, Podcast Manager 

Last Thursday, Xavier College Republicans decided not to host an event which would have seen Sheriff Richard K. Jones of Butler County speak on United States immigration policy. The event fell victim to much on-campus controversy in the week leading up to its date, with a number of guests attempting to attend, resulting in exceeded capacity of the room Smith G30. 

Sheriff Jones is well known in southwest Ohio for the immigration policy he instills in Butler County. “You come to this county, you come to this state illegally, we are going to do everything we can to get you back to the country you came from”, Sheriff Jones stated in a promotional video for the event posted by College Republicans. 

Additionally, flyers for the event were posted around campus, featuring a sign with “Illegal Aliens Here” written on it. This led to multiple Xavier clubs posting statements regarding Sheriff Jones and condemning the diction used in the advertisement. 

“We are especially troubled by the phrase ‘illegal aliens’ and the characterization of international students and immigrants as ‘foreign invaders’. Such rhetoric is harmful, dehumanizing and alienating to immigrants, international students and many students of color on our campus,” BSA (Black Student Association), XUASA (Xavier University African Students Association), HOLA (Hispanic Organization and Latinx Awareness), X-Cobra and L.E.A.D stated in a joint Instagram post. 

Xavier College Democrats also issued their own statement regarding the language used. 

“We feel that College Republicans have intentionally used inflammatory language and imagery which caused divisions among the student body,” College Democrats stated. 

Prior to the event, there was no statement posted by College Republicans regarding the public criticism surrounding Sheriff Jones, and the event was planned to go on as scheduled. 

All on-campus speakers must also be approved by the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) to ensure their safety and relevance to students.  

“OSI and my office were absolutely aware of the attention the event was getting, and we engaged with the planners of the event to manage the controls that we have in place to make sure that the event goes smoothly, and that our students are safe,” Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Kimberly Moore said. “We engaged in all our traditional planning protocols as we prepared for the event.” 

By the scheduled start time of Jones’ remarks, the room in Smith Hall was filled to capacity, mostly by students denouncing the sheriff’s appearance on campus. Many had signs with “Love thy neighbor” and “Jesus was an immigrant” written on them.

“This was not a protest. Students from BSA and several other organizations attended the event early with the intent of engaging in civic dialogue,” junior sport management major and President of the Black Student Association Yohan Lewis stated on behalf of the clubs involved. 

Ultimately the event was postponed by College Republicans, but under the authority of Sheriff Jones, who chose not to proceed with the event as scheduled or engage with the students in attendance.

“Unfortunately, due to the amount of students exceeding the capacity of the room, and after considering advice from both the sheriff’s team and university faculty, we made the decision to postpone the event. By 6:30 p.m., the entrance of merely our six board members, as well as the sheriff and four police officers into the room would have exceeded the capacity of Smith G30,” the College Republicans board stated.

College Republicans are still expected to host Sheriff Jones at some point, though the date has yet to be announced. It is additionally expected to be a closed event, meaning members of College Republicans would be the only students in attendance.