New law would let Iowa judges issue deportation orders

DES MOINES — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that lets Iowa officials arrest and deport people who are in the country illegally.

Reynolds said the law “gives Iowa law enforcement te power to do what (President Biden) is unwiling to do: enforce immigration laws already on the books.”

The law, which will go into effect July 1, would let Iowa judges issue deportation orders. It’s similar to a Texas law that’s on hold due to a court challengee and a lawsuit may block Iowa’s new law as well.

Last month after the legislature passed the bill, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa said the policy would “consume already strapped Iowa law enforcement resources” and lead to racial profiling.

Federal courts have previously ruled that the federal government has sole authority to enforce immigration laws. Reynolds Wednesday said the Biden Administration is failing at that task and “putting the protection and safety of Iowans at risk.”