Kasich: “I don’t think we should have sanctuary cities.”

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has had his disagreements with President Donald Trump but they agree on this: sanctuary cities are bad.

“I don’t think we should have sanctuary cities. 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 — something like coming in here illegally. No, I don’t believe in the sanctuary cities,” he told the Ohio Newspaper Association on Wednesday.

RELATED: Sheriff calls Dayton ‘sanctuary city,’ city says it’s not

Sanctuary city is a loosely defined term for when an area elects not to enforce federal immigration laws. Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther recently announced their communities would be sanctuary cities and Dayton has had its “Welcome Dayton” program since 2011, though it doesn’t call itself a sanctuary city.

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Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, who is running for U.S. Senate, and state Rep. Candice Keller, R-Middletown, are backing a bill that would hold local elected officials criminally and civilly liable if an undocumented immigrant injures or kills someone in a sanctuary city.

RELATED: What are sanctuary cities? Where are they?

Ohio Democrats pushed back, saying the entire state should declare itself a sanctuary.

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