Iowa senate passes bill to make illegal immigration a state crime

The Iowa State Senate has passed a bill granting law enforcement the authority to apprehend illegal immigrants upon their entry into the state if those illegal immigrants are in the United States illegally

Under the proposed legislation, individuals found entering Iowa who have previously been denied admission to or been deported from the United States, of they have a deportation order outstanding would face aggravated misdemeanor charges. Senate File 2340 was approved with a 34-16 vote in the legislative body, per the Iowa Statesman.

If apprehended, state courts would be empowered to order the deportation of these illegal immigrants, with law enforcement agencies responsible for transporting them to a designated port of entry to ensure their exit from the country. The bill now awaits consideration by the Iowa House of Representatives.

Senators argued that the bill would be ineffective and expensive. 

“This bill is a political stunt and a false promise that doesn’t contain the needed resources,” said State Senator Janice Weiner. “It’s a gotcha bill."

But the majority of those who voted in favor of the bill believe it to be necessary given the overwhelming surge of illegal immigrants who have come into the country from the southern border.

"Every state is a border state. Iowa is no exception," said Iowa State Senator Jeff Reichman, "I-35 provides a direct route from the southern border to Iowa."

This move by Iowa echoes similar actions taken by Texas, which recently attempted to enact a comparable law enabling Texas police to arrest immigrants crossing the border between ports of entry. However, Texas's initiative faced legal challenges from the Department of Justice, which sued the state, asserting that immigration laws fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government, not individual states.

Despite pushback from the courts, many proponents of states taking matters into their own hands, like Reichman, argue that the federal government has refused to do its job at securing the nation’s southern border. 

“What is unconstitutional is the way that our federal government is (abdicating) their duties,” Reichman said. “They refuse to enforce the laws. Our president took that same oath and, along with U.S. Customs and Borders, he has failed.”