DES MOINES – Local Iowa jails would be forced to hold inmates without a warrant and cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials under a bill being considered now in the legislature.
According to the Iowa ACLU, at least 26 county sheriffs are “following the law and limiting their cooperation” with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They are declining to honor warrantless ICE requests to hold individuals an additional 48 hours — or more — after they should be released.
Now, the Iowa House is considering a bill (HF 2276) “targeting” these 26 counties, prohibiting them from declining to work with ICE. The ACLU says this new legislation “would harm our communities and punish local law enforcement who are following the Constitution” and the the 26 counties who do not honor ICE detainers “recognize this as a commonsense approach to avoid wrongfully holding people in jail.”
The ACLU claims that “in some states, U.S. citizens are suing for being held on these detainers.”
The bill being considered prohibits the state of Iowa and any state agency, officer, or employee or a county or city from adopting or enforcing any rule, ordinance, policy, or procedure that limits or restricts the enforcement of any federal immigration law to less than the full extent permitted by federal law. The bill also prohibits the state of Iowa and any state agency, officer, or employee or a county or city from certain activities relating to information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, whether lawful or unlawful, of any individual. The state of Iowa and any state agency, officer, or employee or a county or city shall not prohibit law enforcement officials or agencies from gathering such information, direct law enforcement officials or agencies not to gather such information, or prohibit the communication of such information to federal law enforcement agencies.
This bill is forcing people to comply with ICE whether they have a warrant or not. Not being here “legally” could be something as simple as not getting your paperwork to be here legally filled out on time. I work with kids who are documented citizens but whose parents may or may not be. Can you even imagine what it would be like to go home and find out that your family has been taken away while you were at school? These 26 counties realize that there is a lot more to immigration that people being here legally. Communities have to be able to trust law enforcement. Our officers need people to trust them in order to do their jobs and keep us safe. But, if ICE can dress up in police uniforms and take people in to custody without warrants, would you trust the police to keep you safe?
I personally think that if they are illegal they probably should be deported
Cerro Gordo County always holds for ICE detainers. I always found it odd how a many were already on probation in Franklin County yet a simple traffic stop in Mason City readily identified them as illegal. Guess we know one of the twenty six counties.
What do you mean forced?? These people are her ILLEAGLY and HAVE to be deported under U.S. law — get some balls and get to work you cronies.
Swell as Clinton/romney and little marko would say –BUT BUT in more than a few cases The Feds refuse to take them into custody and will never deport them. Only the TRUMP will enforce our immigration laws – ONLY TRUMP 2016 !!!!!