By The newspaper
The United States Department of Justice warned Iowa officials that it could sue the state over a new law that the governor has already signed, which makes it a crime for a person to be in Iowa if they have previously been denied entry to the country. a measure very similar to the Texas bill SB4.
The Associated Press news agency reported that the statute interferes with the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration law, according to the Justice Department, which has already sued Texas to block the similar bill.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds approved the bill, which will allow the arrest and deportation of a person who is in the state after being denied entry to the United States, as they would be committing a state crime.
They want the state not to enforce the law
That law would take effect on July 1, 2024, so the Justice Department has warned Governor Reynolds and state Attorney General Brenna Bird that it intends to sue unless the state agrees not to enforce it. the law.
Prosecutor Bird had already indicated last week that the state is unlikely to accept the federal terms. “Iowa will not back down or stand by while the security of our state is at stake,” she said in a statement.
A similar Texas law, SB4, is on hold due to a court challenge from the Department of Justice. Legal experts and some law enforcement officials have said the Iowa initiative raises the same questions in the case of Texas, since immigration enforcement has historically fallen to federal authorities, the AP added.
Both in Iowa and across the country, Republican lawmakers have accused President Joe Biden of neglecting his responsibility to enforce federal immigration law.
Would allow criminal charges to be filed
The Department of Justice considers that the Iowa law violates the United States Constitution because it “effectively creates a separate state immigration plan.”
As already mentioned, this initiative would allow criminal charges to be filed against people who have outstanding deportation orders or who have previously been expelled or denied entry to the US.
Additionally, when migrants are already in custody, they could accept a judge’s order and leave the US. If they do not listen, they could then be prosecuted.
People in Iowa are worried
After Iowa officials and the governor signed the law, Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert said the department “is not equipped, funded or staffed” to take on responsibilities.
The state law has raised anxiety in Iowa’s immigrant communities, sparking protests in Des Moines and other cities.
“The only reason we had to pass this law is because the Biden Administration refuses to enforce the laws that are already in place,” Reynolds said when he signed the law.
With information from AP
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