The U.S. Department of Justice has informed Iowa’s top officials that it intends to file a lawsuit against the state over a new law that makes it a crime for individuals to be in Iowa if they have previously been denied entry to the U.S.
According to the DOJ, this law interferes with the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration laws. The DOJ has already taken legal action against Texas to block a similar measure.
In a letter sent on Thursday and reported by the Des Moines Register, the DOJ notified Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Attorney General Brenna Bird that it plans to sue unless Iowa agrees by May 7 not to enforce the law.
Bird stated on Friday that Iowa is unlikely to accept the federal terms. “Iowa will stand firm and not back down while our state’s safety is at stake,” she said in a statement.
Similar to the situation in Texas, where a comparable law is currently on hold due to DOJ challenges, legal experts and some law enforcement officials argue that the Iowa law raises similar concerns because immigration enforcement has traditionally been the domain of federal authorities.
People marching in Iowa Movement (Via Helen Smith/Shutterstock)
The Justice Department argues that the Iowa law violates the U.S. Constitution because it effectively establishes a separate immigration framework for the state.
Scheduled to take effect on July 1, the law allows for criminal charges against individuals with deportation orders or who have been previously removed from or denied entry to the U.S. Upon arrest, migrants can either agree to leave the country under a judge’s order or face prosecution.
The passage of this law has heightened tensions in Iowa’s immigrant communities, resulting in protests in cities like Des Moines.
Republicans across the nation have criticized President Joe Biden, accusing him of failing to enforce existing federal immigration laws. “We had to pass this law because the Biden Administration refuses to uphold the laws already in place,” Reynolds asserted in a statement on Friday.
