Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill into law on Wednesday that would allow state police to arrest and deport certain illegal immigrants.
The law, which goes into effect July 1, will make it an aggravated misdemeanor to be in Iowa if the individual has an outstanding deportation order or was previously removed from the country or prohibited from entering the country. Individuals charged with the offense could face up to two years in prison.
The charges are bumped up to a felony offense if the individual’s former deportation order was related to drug crimes, crimes against people, or if they have any felony convictions. Suspects may not be arrested at places of worship, schools, medical facilities, or facilities for sexual assault survivors, the legislation reads.
The Senate File 2340 states that a judge may choose to allow the immigrant to leave the country instead of facing charges.
Reynolds stated, “The Biden administration has failed to enforce our nation’s immigration laws, putting the protection and safety of Iowans at risk.”
“Those who come into our country illegally have broken the law, yet Biden refuses to deport them. This bill gives Iowa law enforcement the power to do what he is unwilling to do: enforce immigration laws already on the books,” Reynolds added.
State Senator Janice Weiner (D) criticized the bill, calling it “a political stunt and a false promise that doesn’t contain the needed resources,” the New York Times reported.
“It’s a gotcha bill,” Weiner claimed.
Mark Stringer, the executive director of the Iowa American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, also spoke out against the legislation, stating, “The Iowa law enforcement and state judges tasked with authority to carry out this outrageous legislation are not trained in immigration law and have no proper authority to enforce it.”
Stringer claims the new law would encourage “racial profiling and stereotyping” while undermining “public safety and the rule of law.”
“It will consume already strapped state court and law enforcement resources,” he contended.
Stringer argued it is one of the “most extreme, discriminatory, and unconstitutional anti-immigrant bills” in the country.
State Representative Steven Holt (R), who supported the measure, called on states to act.
“Many other states are standing up to protect their sovereignty, and their citizens and Iowa must do the same,” Holt stated.
The legislation is similar to Texas’ Senate Bill 4, which is currently tied up in the court system following a lawsuit from the Biden administration’s Department of Justice.
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