Iowa’s attempt to crack down on illegal immigration is being challenged in court.
A newly passed law making it a crime for undocumented immigrants who have previously been deported or denied entry to the United States to enter or re-enter the Hawkeye State is being debated as unconstitutional by civil rights and immigration groups. There is.
The complaint filed Thursday alleges the new law overrides the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration laws. The case is similar to a broader Texas law that is being challenged by both the Justice Department and civil rights groups.
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Civil rights and immigrant rights groups are suing Iowa over the constitutionality of a new law that makes it a crime to remain in the state if you have previously been denied entry to the United States. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (left) signed it. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, left; John Moore/Getty Images, right)
The lawsuit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and the American Immigration Council on behalf of the Iowa Immigration Movement for Justice and two Iowa individuals. The U.S. Department of Justice warned Iowa state leaders last week, but this is the first legal action taken against the state in response to the law.
invoice, Senate File 2340was signed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds last month, allowing Iowa law enforcement officers to be charged with aggravated misdemeanors if they enter the country illegally. The law goes into effect July 1 and mirrors a portion of the high-profile Texas law currently being blocked in court.
The law specifically makes it an aggravated misdemeanor and targets immigrants in the state with outstanding deportation orders, those who have been previously deported or previously barred from entering the country.
According to the new law, if an immigrant’s removal order was related to a misdemeanor conviction for a drug-related crime, crime against persons, or prior felony conviction, that crime will be upgraded to a felony.
However, plaintiffs argue that the new law gives law enforcement the power to arrest immigrants who have been granted permission to remain in the United States, including those granted asylum and those granted visas to protect them from crime and human trafficking. They argue that it is inconsistent with existing immigration law in that it gives the agency. .
Kate Meloy Guettel, legal director for the American Immigration Council, said that even if a person has legal immigration status, he or she has previously been deported or has been deported and re-entered the country. said he could be arrested and deported.
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An audience member listens to a community organizer during a briefing on the bill on March 27 in Des Moines, Iowa.
“This is a completely meaningless law and clearly unconstitutional,” Guettel said. “SF 2340 is not just about the re-entry of so-called criminals. It is a badly written law with far-reaching implications. It has caused absolute chaos and human suffering in our legal system, and it has destroyed communities in Iowa.” will cause damage.”
Several states are moving to pass laws to crack down on illegal immigration, which has flowed into the country at unprecedented levels since President Biden took office. Republican leaders in Iowa and across the country are accusing Democratic President Joe Biden of failing to manage the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Nearly 7.3 million immigrants have illegally crossed the Southwest border under President Biden’s watch, more than the population of 36 states, according to a February Fox News analysis. Since then, tens of thousands more have entered the country illegally.
Reynolds told Fox & Friends on Monday that the Justice Department has told the administration that states are obstructing federal immigration enforcement efforts.
She said the claim was “ridiculous” given the large number of level crossings.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds speaks at the Family Leadership Summit on July 14, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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“They are not enforcing the immigration laws that are on the books, and every state, every governor in this country understands what is going on. We are witnessing a sharp rise in deaths.
“And if this president doesn’t do his job, the states are going to have to step in and do it for him…He’s not fulfilling his constitutional duty to protect the sovereignty of this country.”
Fox News’ Kyle Morris and Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
