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Iowa governor signs bill that would make it a crime for some undocumented migrants to be in the state
By Alisha Ebrahimji and Alexandra Ross, CNN
Published 10:46 AM EDT, Thu April 11, 2024
Iowa is taking a page out of Texas’ book as its governor signed a bill into law this week allowing law enforcement officers to arrest some undocumented migrants.
Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Wednesday that makes it a crime to be in the state after being deported, denied admission to the United States, or have an outstanding deportation order.
The law, which takes effect on July 1, is similar to Texas’ controversial law that allows state officials to arrest and detain suspected illegal immigrants. That law, which also allows state judges to order immigrants to be deported, is currently blocked as a federal appeals court considers its constitutionality.
Texas immigration controversy rekindles fight over Arizona’s ‘show me your papers’ law
“Those who come into our country illegally have broken the law, yet (President Joe) Biden refuses to deport them,” Reynolds said. “This bill gives Iowa law enforcement the power to do what he is unwilling to do: enforce immigration laws already on the books.”
The Biden administration pointed to the stalled effort to pass a bipartisan border security bill in Congress as a roadblock to addressing the issue.
“Congressional Republicans chose to put partisan politics ahead of our national security and rejected what border agents have said they need,” White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández told CNN. “If Republican officials truly care about fixing the broken immigration system and securing our border, they should support the bipartisan border security agreement that is on the table.”
https://us.cnn.com/2024/04/11/us/iowa-immigration-enforcement-bill-signed/index.html
