XPost: alt.fan.states.iowa, alt.politics.usa.republican, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/migrants-iowa-leave-bill-arrested- deported-108712092

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A bill in Iowa that would allow the state to arrest
and deport some migrants is stoking anxiety among immigrant communities, leaving some to wonder: “Should I leave Iowa?”

The legislation, which is expected to be signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds,
would make it a state crime for a person to be in Iowa if previously
denied admission to or removed from the United States. It mirrors part of
a Texas law that is currently blocked i n court.

Across Iowa, Latino and immigrant community groups are organizing
informational meetings and materials to try to answer people's questions. They’re also asking local and county law enforcement agencies for official statements, as well as face-to-face meetings.

As 80 people gathered in a Des Moines public library community room last
week, community organizer Fabiola Schirrmeister pulled written questions
out of a tin can. In Spanish, one asked: “Is it safe to call the police?” Another asked: “Can Iowa police ask me about my immigration status?” And:
“What happens if I’m racially profiled?”

Erica Johnson, executive director of Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice,
the organization hosting the meeting, sighed when one person asked:
“Should I leave Iowa?”

“Entiendo el sentido,” she said. I understand the sentiment.

Schirrmeister, who hosts a local Spanish-language radio show, explained
how long organizers have worked to build a bridge with law enforcement.

“It’s sad how it’s going to hurt the trust between local enforcement, pro- immigrant organizations and the immigrant communities," she said.

Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert told The Associated Press in an email
that immigration status does not factor into the department's work to keep
the community safe, and he said it would be “disingenuous and
contradictory” to incorporate it at the same time law enforcement has been working to eliminate such bias.

“I’m not interested, nor are we equipped, funded or staffed to take on additional responsibilities that historically have never been a function
of local law enforcement,” he added.

In Iowa and across the country, Republican leaders have rallied around the refrain that “every state is a border state" as they accuse President Joe
Biden of neglecting his responsibilities to enforce federal immigration
law. That’s led Republican governors to send troops to support Texas Gov.
Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, and legislatures to propose a variety
of state-level strategies.

Iowa’s lawmakers advanced the measure to address what one lawmaker called
a “clear and present danger” posed to Iowans by some migrants crossing the southern border. Republican Rep. Steve Holt acknowledged questions of constitutionality around the bill but ultimately argued that Iowa has “the right, the duty and the moral obligation to act to protect our citizens
and our sovereignty.”

“If we end up in a court battle with the federal government, should this
pass, bring it on,” Holt said during a subcommittee meeting in February.
“I think it’s time for every state to stand up and say … ‘we’ve had
enough. We will defend our people.’"

The Texas law is stalled in court, after a challenge from the U.S.
Department of Justice, which says it conflicts with the federal
government’s immigration authority. The department did not immediately
comment on the Iowa bill.

The Iowa legislation, like the Texas law, could mean criminal charges for people who have outstanding deportation orders or who have previously been removed from or denied admission to the U.S. Once in custody, migrants
could either agree to a judge’s order to leave the U.S. or be prosecuted.

The judge’s order must identify the transportation method for leaving the
U.S. and a law enforcement officer or Iowa agency to monitor migrants' departures. Those who don’t leave could face rearrest under more serious charges.

The bill in Iowa faces the same questions of implementation and
enforcement as the Texas law, since deportation is a “complicated,
expensive and often dangerous” federal process, said immigration law
expert Huyen Pham of Texas A&M School of Law.

“How are Iowa law enforcement agencies going to determine if someone has entered Iowa in violation of an immigration order?” Pham asked. She said questions remain about which country a detained person would be sent back
to, how they would get there and how agencies would communicate with those countries.

Deportations are a binational process, she said, meaning the federal
government negotiates with the governments of other countries. Disjointed immigration policy state-by-state could threaten those international relationships, Pham said.

Mexico has already said that it would reject any state or local government enforcement of immigration laws.

The Iowa State Patrol, as well as representatives of multiple police departments and county sheriff’s offices across the state, declined to
comment on the bill before it is signed into law.

Shawn Ireland, president of the Iowa State Sheriff’s and Deputies
Association and a deputy sheriff in Linn County, said in an email that law enforcement officials would consult with county attorneys for guidance if
the bill becomes law.

But Ireland added that community-police relations are a priority, and law enforcement’s focus “is not on looking for people who came to this country illegally and are not committing crimes."

Manny Galvez, leader of the Escucha Mi Voz (Hear My Voice) community group based in the rural city of West Liberty, said the bill has galvanized
immigrant communities, including some that are in harder-to-reach areas of Iowa, to send the message that immigration is a human issue and that the state’s economy relies on immigrant labor for jobs such as those in
meatpacking plants and construction.

Lawmakers advancing a bill like this one are disconnected from that
reality, Galvez said.

“Criminalizing the immigrant community is not the answer,” he said. “We
tell people: ‘Don’t be afraid. No tengan miedo. We are going to keep
fighting this.’"


--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.

No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.

Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.

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