DES MOINES, Iowa — Earlier this week, the Des Moines Police Department shared concerns over its ability to enforce a recent immigration bill awaiting Gov. Kim Reynolds' signature. Now, local advocates are raising an alarm, claiming the legislation is a danger to Iowa residents.
SF 2340 would allow local law enforcement agencies to take on aspects of immigration enforcement. If signed into law, police could arrest individuals who they have probable cause to believe are in the U.S. illegally, who have been previously denied admission to the state or who have been removed from the U.S. in the past.
Executive Director of the ACLU of Iowa Mark Stinger believes that if the bill is signed into law, it will have frightening effects on both Iowa law enforcement and immigrant communities.
"It's an extreme, unconstitutional and dangerous piece of legislation, one of the most extreme anti immigrant bills in the country," Stinger said.
Stinger notes he believes the passing of the bill will cause problematic policing.
"It will encourage racial profiling and stereotyping," Stinger said. "It will wreak havoc on Iowa families and communities and threaten citizens and noncitizens alike."
LULAC's Joe Enriquez Henry shares in those concerns.
"We've heard rumors about people from immigrant families who feel unsafe now, who have contemplating moving out of the state, " Enriquez Henry told Local 5.
Enriquez Henry believes even if Reynolds puts pen to paper, the bill could still face some snags.
"Hopefully . . . there will be a postponement if the governor signs this, and it is our hope, because it's unconstitutional," Enriquez Henry said.