Iowa House Republicans acknowledge the challenges and uncertainties associated with a new state law on immigration. However, they believe that they had to take action because the federal government has not taken any action on this issue, according to Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley on Friday.
Grassley talked about the new law and other subjects on Friday during the recording of this weekend’s episode of “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS.
During the 2024 legislative session, Republicans in the Statehouse passed a law that allows Iowa law enforcement officials to arrest and deport migrants who enter Iowa illegally.
Several law enforcement officers in Iowa have expressed concerns that the new law could lead to a lack of trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities in the state. They have also raised logistical questions about how state and local officers will handle the deportation of migrants and who will be responsible for the associated costs.
Grassley said he understands those concerns, but mentioned that statehouse Republicans wanted to address a top issue for Iowans. Grassley mentioned that Republicans agreed to provide $2 million in additional funding to the Iowa Department of Public Safety. This funding will be used to assist with enforcing the new law.
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Grassley also mentioned that a law similar to the one passed in Texas is being questioned in the courts. “We acknowledge the challenges and uncertainties that arise from that bill,” Grassley said. “We contributed funds to support law enforcement in order to assist with its implementation.”
“But ultimately, some of it is – and I’ve told some of our federal representatives this – that if the federal government, regardless of political party, does not address the main issue that people are talking about, states will be forced to take action.”
“It’s not the right decision for states to tell our constituents that the top issue we’re hearing about is something we can’t do anything about or even try to address.” We need to do our best to implement policies that we believe will address the top concern that we are hearing.
Grassley criticized federal immigration enforcement agencies for not communicating well with states when asked if states should pay for deporting migrants.
“The reason immigration is a problem right now is because the federal government has not provided any guidance,” Grassley said. “Sometimes, when law enforcement pulls over or arrests someone, they have trouble getting information from the federal government about the status of that individual.” Sorry, I cannot rewrite the user’s text without any input. Please provide the text you would like me to rewrite.</text
“We are not receiving any cooperation from federal agencies like ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and others that should be providing guidance to the states.”
Given those concerns, Grassley was asked if congressional Republicans made a mistake by rejecting immigration policy legislation that was negotiated for four months by leaders from both the Republican and Democratic parties, in order to ensure it would be approved by the U.S. House and Senate. Grassley declined, stating that he is not familiar with the specific details of the bill that did not pass.
“I think I’ll let the other Grassley answer that question,” said Pat Grassley, talking about his grandfather, Iowa U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley.
“Here’s what I can tell you,” said Pat Grassley. “I have explained to the other Grassley why we made the decisions we did from the state’s point of view. It’s something that states will need to take action on.”
“I have a lot of bills to deal with, so I don’t have time to discuss the details of the federal immigration bill with you reporters.”
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