An Iowa bill similar to the one going through legal hoops in Texas would allow state law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants who were previously deported or denied entry into the United States.
The new legislation makes it a crime for migrants to enter Iowa if they have a history of deportation or were denied entry into the country. The House passed Senate File 2340 the same day the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants, which was quickly blocked by an appeals court shortly after the high court’s ruling.
“The status quo of federal government failure is unsustainable,” Rep. Steven Holt (R-Denison), who presented the bill, told the Des Moines Register. “I believe that in order to protect our communities and our state, we must push the envelope. And that is what this legislation does.”
The bill would allow police to charge illegal immigrants with aggravated misdemeanors if the individual has been deported from the U.S. before, or was denied access to the country. Illegal immigrants could also be charged with a Class D felony if the individual was deported for a misdemeanor charge related to a crime or drugs, according to the bill.
While all House Republicans voted in favor of the legislation 64-30, along with three Democrats, Rep. Sami Scheetz (D- Cedar Rapids) spoke out in opposition of the bill, saying that it does not tackle the problem with “compassion,” according to the outlet.
“Illegal immigration is a serious problem that requires action,” Scheetz said. “Yet the approach laid out in this bill misses the heart of what it truly means to address this issue with compassion, wisdom, and effectiveness.”
The Senate passed the bill earlier this month and will now head to Gov. Kim Reynolds’s (R-IA) desk. She told the outlet she intends to sign it.
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“States have stepped in to secure the border, preventing illegal migrants from entering our country and protecting our citizens,” Reynolds said in her statement. “Americans deserve nothing less. I look forward to signing SF 2340 into law.”
Iowa’s new bill closely follows Texas’s legislative efforts to combat the border crisis. The Lone Star State passed legislation to allow nonfederal police officers to arrest illegal immigrants at the southern border, pointing to the Biden administration’s border policies as a reason for skirting the federal government and enacting their own laws to secure the border.