COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — An Iowa bill that some people are comparing to a controversial Texas immigration law, passed in the legislature this week and Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will sign it.
- The Iowa bill focuses on illegal reentry. Meaning: a migrant who was previously deported or refused entry into the United States, who AGAIN reenters the U.S. illegally, would be committing an aggravated misdemeanor in Iowa.
- “As any law, it has the goods and the bads and, in terms of the bads, it might have the potential to perhaps even separate some families. So, that’s our concern,” said Walter Garcia, executive director of Centro Latino.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
An Iowa bill that some people are comparing to a controversial Texas immigration law, has passed in the legislature.
I’m your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter, Katrina Markel.
The bill will likely be signed into law by Gov. Reynolds, so let’s take a look at the seven-page bill.
Entering the country illegally is already a federal offense. This bill would give the state authority to enforce those laws.
The Iowa bill focuses on illegal reentry. Meaning: a migrant who was previously deported or refused entry into the United States, who AGAIN reenters the U.S. illegally, would be committing an aggravated misdemeanor in Iowa.
The bill also prohibits arrest, in some circumstances such as in a public school, house of worship or while receiving healthcare.
At Latino Centro in Council Bluffs, Executive Director Walter Garcia says he has a good relationship with local law enforcement. He’ll wait to see how this legislation affects neighbors, but families with mixed immigration status are a worry.
“As any law, it has the goods and the bads and, in terms of the bads, it might have the potential to perhaps even separate some families. So, that’s our concern,” said Garcia.
A provision in the bill also stipulates that, once convicted, the person who entered illegally will be required to return to the country from which they entered the United States. In other words, if someone from Venezuela entered from Mexico, they will be returned to Mexico.
In a statement the ACLU of Iowa denounced the legislation: “...This legislation encourages and facilitates racial profiling and stereotyping ... It will consume already strapped state court and law enforcement resources."
Governor Reynolds’ office sent the following statement but did not respond to a request for an interview.
It reads, in part: “President Biden and his Administration have failed to enforce our immigration laws ... States have stepped in to secure the border ... I look forward to signing SF 2340 into law.”
An immigration reform bill, negotiated by a bipartisan team, was not brought forward for a vote by GOP leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives last month.
As of my deadline, we had not heard back from the western Iowa legislators that I contacted about the Iowa bill.
We’ll continue to follow this story and what it might mean for law enforcement and immigrant communities in Iowa.
