Iowa House bill would require local law enforcement cooperate with ICE

DES MOINES — State and local law enforcement officers in Iowa would have to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in apprehending and detaining individuals who are in the country illegally under a bill in the Iowa Legislature that critics are calling “anti-immigrant.”

Lawmakers on the House Judiciary Subcommittee advanced House Study Bill 187 Thursday, which would require every law enforcement agency in the state to enter into written memorandums of agreement with ICE by Jan. 1, 2026.

This would include agreements for both the jail enforcement model and the warrant service officer program. The programs allow law enforcement to identify and process individuals based on their citizenship status and train, certify and authorize state and local law enforcement officers to serve and execute administrative warrants.

The proposed legislation follows executive orders signed by President Donald Trump that have stepped up enforcement of immigration laws and deportations of individuals who are in the country illegally.

There are about 52,300 undocumented immigrants in Iowa, according to the American Immigration Council.

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Subcommittee chair Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, said the legislation is “vital” for keeping communities safe in Iowa.

“Every nation has a right to secure its borders, and every nation has a right to control its borders in the interest of public safety,” Holt said. “There's a huge difference between legal and illegal immigration.”

The bill advanced with the support of Holt and Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull. Rep. Rick Olson, a Democrat from Des Moines, declined to sign on.

After hearing from the public during a subcommittee meeting Thursday, Wheeler said he was “appalled” by speakers' attacks on law enforcement and said his goal was to protect citizens.

“We have a lot of people that are able to be here in person to testify today,” he said. “There are two that are not. One by the name of Sarah Root, the other one by the name of Mollie Tibbetts.”

Root and Tibbetts were Iowans killed by undocumented immigrants.

Bill will hurt community trust in law enforcement, opponents say

Immigrant rights advocates criticized the bill, arguing it would increase discrimination against immigrants and widen the gap between law enforcement and immigrant communities. Some described it as “xenophobic” and “racist.”

Maria Gonzalez, of Marshalltown, said requiring local law enforcement to comply with ICE would deter immigrants from coming forward to report crimes.

“The state of Iowa has unfortunately continued to unfairly target immigrants and refugees as scapegoats for unresolved issues, despite their significant contribution to our economy and overall stability of our state,” Gonzalez said. “We are afraid that people will not come forward to report crimes and that bridge of communication will no longer exist.”

Patricia Ritchie, a Mexican American combat veteran from Carroll, said the legislation would weaken trust between law enforcement and local communities.

“Unfunded mandates are stressful and will cause even more harm to the community relationship with our Latinos and our law enforcement,” Ritchie said.

Michael Tupper, the recently retired Marshalltown police chief, echoed Ritchie’s comments, saying it would hurt community trust in law enforcement and create “unnecessary burdens” on law enforcement department resources.

“It’s another attack on local control and simply will undermine the mission of the local law enforcement officers who are working in the communities every day to build trust and relationships with their community,” Tupper said. “Quite frankly, it's healthier for our communities to maintain a healthy separation between federal immigration enforcement and local law enforcement.”

Tom Palmer, a retired pastor from Oskaloosa, told a story of when his daughter and his son-in-law, who is a Guatemalan immigrant and U.S. citizen, were pulled over and their vehicle was searched without a warrant, which Palmer alleged was due to his son-in-law's ethnicity.

“This bill would encourage more of this kind of behavior from our law enforcement departments,” Palmer said. “They should be here to build confidence and trust, not bring fear and anxiety to people like my daughter and son-in-law.”

Chad McCluskey, board vice president of the Iowa Police Chiefs Association, testified as undecided on the bill but noted state and local law enforcement agencies are struggling with resources and he has concerns about the legislation adding to the workload of departments.

The bill would require law enforcement agencies to follow mandates even if funding isn’t provided.

All of the speakers at the hearing were either undecided or opposed to the bill.

Iowa AG investigating Winneshiek sheriff after social media post

Earlier this month, Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx announced in a social media post that he would not comply with non-warrant immigration detainers requested by federal immigration enforcement.

Shortly after Marx, a Republican, published the post, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds asked Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird to launch an investigation to determine whether the department is breaking a state law that requires law enforcement to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainment requests.

Bird’s investigation and Marx’s statement were not specifically brought up during the subcommittee meeting.