The U.S. Department of Justice has informed Iowa officials that it plans to sue the state over a new law that criminalizes the stay in Iowa for people who have previously been denied entry to the United States.
The law interferes with the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws, according to the Justice Department, which has already sued the state of Texas to block similar measures.
Republican governor signs bill to allow local authorities to arrest certain immigrants ‘Immigration Law Enforcement’
In a letter sent Thursday and first reported by the Des Moines Register, the Justice Department asked Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Attorney General Brenna Byrd to ensure the state adopted the law by May 7. They informed them that if they did not agree not to carry out the execution, they would file a lawsuit.
Byrd suggested Friday that the state was unlikely to agree to federal terms.
People march during the Iowa Movement for Immigrant Justice rally and march on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neighborgal)
“Iowa will not stand back and stand by while our state’s safety is at stake,” he said in a statement.
A similar Texas law is on hold due to a legal challenge by the Justice Department. Legal experts and some law enforcement officials say the Iowa law raises the same questions raised in the Texas case because immigration law enforcement has historically been left to federal authorities. Stated.
The Justice Department said in a letter that the Iowa law violates the U.S. Constitution because it “effectively creates an independent state-by-state immigration system.”
The law, which goes into effect on July 1, allows criminal charges to be brought against people who have outstanding deportation orders or have been previously deported from or denied entry to the United States. If an immigrant is detained, he or she can consent to a judge’s order. Leave the US or be prosecuted.
The law has raised concerns in Iowa’s immigrant communities, sparking protests in Des Moines and other cities on Wednesday.
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Republicans across the country have accused President Joe Biden of neglecting his duty to enforce federal immigration law.
“The only reason we had to pass this law is because the Biden administration refuses to enforce laws that are already in place,” Reynolds said in a statement Friday.
