Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) signed legislation this week banning sanctuary city policies in the State of Iowa.
Senate File 481 directs state law enforcement agencies to fully comply with detainer notices issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and bars local entities from adopting or enforcing any policy that “discourages the enforcement of immigration laws.”
Interestingly, Section 825.7 directs that law enforcement cannot investigate the immigration status of crime victims or witnesses. This addresses a common criticism of anti-sanctuary policies that immigration enforcement encourages a “chilling effect” within immigrant communities.
However, as my colleague Jessica Vaughan reported last June, top law enforcement officials testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that such an effect does not exist. Either way, Iowa lawmakers clearly took any potential “chilling effect” into consideration when crafting this legislation.
AAN Staff
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