The Biden Administration filed a lawsuit against Iowa over the state taking illegal immigration into its own hands.
The Justice Department in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa claimed that Gov. Kim Reynolds’ (R-Iowa) law violates the Constitution. On the contrary, the governor said the law is necessary to keep residents safe amid President Joe Biden’s reckless border policies.
“Iowa cannot create its own immigration system. Its efforts, through SF 2340, intrude on the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate the entry and removal of non-citizens, frustrate the United States’ immigration operations, and interfere with U.S. foreign relations,” the lawsuit read.
The bill, signed into law last month, states that illegal immigrants would be found guilty of a Class C felony, facing up to ten years in prison for illegally entering the country if they were arrested for committing another felony.
The Biden Administration says the bill is unlawful and interferes with its methods of handling illegal immigration.
However, Reynolds vowed not to “back down” against the Biden Administration’s threat.
The only reason we had to pass this law is because the Biden Administration refuses to enforce the laws already on the books. I have a duty to protect the citizens of Iowa. Unlike the federal government, we will respect the rule of law and enforce it. pic.twitter.com/vKfIwx3QWL
— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) May 3, 2024
A DOJ official claimed that the law “effectively creates a separate state immigration scheme,” which “intrudes into a field occupied by the federal government and is preempted.”
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird defended the law, saying that the state is simply doing what the president has failed to do.
“When Biden fails to do his job and secure our border, States have to take matters into their own hands. Iowa’s law is not unique; it simply enforces immigration laws while Biden refuses to,” she said. “Iowa stands ready to defend our immigration law that keeps Iowa communities safe.”
Not only has Biden refused to enforce federal immigration laws & secure our border, he is now threatening to block states like IA from enforcing our own laws.
— Brenna Bird (@BrennaBird) May 3, 2024
Our message to Biden is this: IA will not back down & stand by as our state’s safety hangs in the balance. If Biden…
Texas passed a similar law, making illegal border crossers a crime. It gives state law enforcement the authority to arrest, jail, prosecute, and deport illegal immigrants who enter the U.S. between ports of entry.