Red State hit with lawsuit over law allowing officials to arrest and deport illegal immigrants

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A number of civil rights groups filed a lawsuit Thursday against the state of Iowa for passing a law that allows authorities to arrest and detain illegal immigrants.

SF 2340, signed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, gives local and state law enforcement agencies the ability to arrest and charge illegal immigrants who have outstanding deportation orders, or who have re-entered the U.S. after previously being deported or denied entry domestically is denied. the country. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa and the American Immigration Council are suing Iowa, claiming it is unconstitutional and will disproportionately impact the state’s immigrant population.

“Proponents of this law say they passed it because they are tired of the way the federal government and the current administration are handling immigration enforcement. We all agree that our immigration system needs improvement, but this bill is not a solution,” Erica Johnson, founder and executive director of Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, asserted in a statement Thursday. “Instead, it increases fear among Iowa’s immigrant communities and overwhelms local groups doing the real work to find solutions and create thriving communities.”

“Iowa is NOT backing down.”

Joe Biden’s DOJ is fighting tooth and nail to keep the border open.

When Iowa tries to defend itself with a new immigration law, the Biden DOJ threatens a lawsuit.

But @BrennaBird says Iowa will fight to enforce the law. pic.twitter.com/UZkg6LygJv

— Daniel Baldwin (@baldwin_daniel_) May 6, 2024

The lawsuit claims the state law hinders the Biden administration’s ability to enforce federal immigration laws, according to NBC News. ACLU of Iowa also claims it will increase racial profiling and result in the separation of families.

The Biden administration’s Justice Department previously threatened to sue Iowa unless it struck the law from the books. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird previously said the state would not give in to pressure to repeal the law.

“Iowa will not back down. We will defend our law even if the federal government sues us,” Bird said on Fox News interview on May 5. “Iowa has an immigration problem. “Iowa is not a border state, we are far from the border, but now every state is a border state, with the border getting so out of hand.”

SF 2340 will go into effect on July 1.

The Biden administration has tried to block states, including Iowa and Texas, from enforcing stricter laws to curb the illegal immigration crisis. The administration is locked in an ongoing legal battle with Texas, which has sent the state’s National Guard to the southern border and has prevented Border Patrol agents from intervening in border enforcement activities.

Illegal immigration has increased dramatically under the Biden administration; Border Patrol recorded about 1.6 million encounters with migrants at the southern border in fiscal year 2021, compared to more than 2 million in fiscal year 2023 and more than a million in the first six months of fiscal year 2024, according to Customs and Border data Protection.