Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed into law a bill that mimics Texas‘s illegal immigration law in the Hawkeye State.

The bill, Senate File 2340, passed in the state Senate, 34-16, and in the state House, 64-30, last month. It makes it a state crime for a person to be in Iowa if they were denied entry into the country or are an illegal immigrant who has previously been deported. Reynolds says the law will allow the state to enforce immigration laws that already exist.

“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,” Reynolds said in a statement on Wednesday.

“This bill gives Iowa law enforcement the power to do what he is unwilling to do: enforce immigration laws already on the books,” she added. 

The law is similar to Texas’s Senate Bill 4, which is currently on hold as the Biden administration challenges its legality. SB 4 in the Lone Star State allows state police to arrest and deport those suspected of illegal being in the state. The Justice Department has argued the law violates federal law and would create chaos at the border.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The ongoing court battle over the Texas law has largely kept the law from going into effect, with the exception of a short period last month when it was allowed to go into effect before again being halted.

Immigration policy relating to the southern border has come into focus in recent months as both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have made pitches on the matter as part of their respective presidential campaigns. Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas agreed that the border is in a “crisis” during a hearing before Congress.