Ohio Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno Calls for ‘Absolute Zero Tolerance Policy’ on Illegal Immigration

The United States must have an “absolute zero tolerance policy” on illegal immigration, Republican Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno said during a candidate forum this week in the Buckeye State, differentiating himself from his challengers.

The forum featured three Republican Senate candidates — Moreno, GOP Secretary of State Frank LaRose, and State Sen. Matt Dolan (R) — all vying for Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-OH) seat.

During the forum, Moreno — who legally migrated from Columbia — listed eliminating illegal immigration as one of the three biggest issues facing the business community, thereby identifying it as something that Congress should promptly address. Further, Moreno explained that the U.S. must have a “zero tolerance policy” on illegal immigration when asked what role he believes illegal immigrants have in “job recruitment and retainment” within the country.

It is problematic, he said, that the U.S. essentially has encouraged illegal immigration on one end, yet attempts to draw a hard line in the sand on the other side.

“Let me just say this, you will not solve the immigration crisis in America unless we have an absolute zero tolerance policy around illegal immigration,” the businessman said.

“We have encouraged for decades, illegal immigration on one side and then said we’re against it on the other side. Because by doing that, we have broken the legal immigration system,” Moreno continued, calling for deportations.

One of Moreno’s competitors, LaRose, jumped in with the line that “most Americans recognize, of course, we’re a nation of immigrants.” That is relatively unsurprising, as Moreno exposed the amnesty support of both LaRose and Dolan at a GOP Senate candidate forum in October.

“It’s not realistic to take 20 million consumers out of the economy. Immigration, when done legally, is a net positive for our country,” LaRose said during the forum this month amid concerns for American workers, as Dolan used his platform to tout legal immigration as a “huge part of our economics.”

“We have to have a meaningful discussion about who [among the illegals] can stay, who can provide value to the United States of America,” Dolan said, as Moreno made it clear that his opponents are “for amnesty.”

“I’m not. That’s the bottom line,” Moreno said.

In Thursday’s forum, LaRose described immigration as a “net positive for our nation over the years,” calling for a “merit-based immigration system that attracts the best and brightest to come here legally, work hard, assimilate into our culture, learn our language and be part of this big American Dream that all of our families have had the chance to live.”

He did, however, acknowledge the need for border security, as did Dolan, but neither appeared to take a stance as hardline as Moreno, who called for an “absolute zero tolerance policy” on illegal immigration.

Moreno has remained consistent in his calls to address illegal immigration, telling Breitbart News during an exclusive interview in July that a Republican-controlled Senate should focus primarily on securing the southern border and be able to confidently announce that the border is “safe and secure” within 30 days of the GOP taking control of the upper chamber.

“We got to immediately secure the border when we take over in January of 2025. Within 30 days, we gotta be able to announce that we have a safe and secure border,” he told Breitbart News at the time. “That’s a priority number one.”

WATCH: U.S. Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno Lists Top Priorities of a GOP-Controlled Senate

Jack Knudsen / Breitbart News