By HANNA GRISSEL
It’s clear from the immigration ban (now on hold) and President Trump’s overall agenda that he and his cronies attempt to make rules that are racist and religiously intolerant. And based on the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which plainly states no one can be “discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person’s race, sex, nationality, place of birth or place of residence,” the order is also illegal.
However, we should stay vigilant. As of Thursday, Jeff Sessions, a man who has spent his entire career stomping on the civil rights of Americans, specifically Americans of color, will hold the office of attorney general, where he will no doubt attempt to undermine human rights in the name of some perverse idea of “Law and Order.”
As it turns out, Iowa’s Republican legislators are loudly showing their support for such perverse ideas. According to local CBS 2, on Feb. 2, the lawmakers, “despite hearing only opposing testimony,” advanced House Study Bill 67.
HSB 67 states, “The state and any state agency, officer, or employee shall not adopt or enforce any rule, policy, or procedure that limits or restricts the enforcement of any federal immigration law to less than the full extent permitted by federal law.” The bill ends by saying, “Iowa, state agencies, and officers and employees, apply to the State Board of Regents and its institutions, community colleges, and any other postsecondary educational institution in Iowa that receives state funds.”
From the looks of the vague language, Republican lawmakers are attempting to follow suit with Trump’s executive order. Though the bill makes no mention on how the state plans to enforce and/or punish any of the entities mentioned for not complying, it’s probably not too far off to assume the state of Iowa will attempt to hang funding in the balance. Because there is no explicit mention of punishment, this act by the Republicans should be recognized for what it is: a scare tactic.
Among the concerns for the University of Iowa, if school officials were told to release student information, the executive order and HSB 67 would both break FERPA and deny the rights of DACA and DREAMer beneficiaries.
Luckily, after Trump signed the executive order, UI President Bruce Harreld signed the Pomona College Letter in support of students, which states, “To our country’s leaders, we say that DACA should be upheld, continued, and expanded.” My hope is that Harreld stands by this, along with the more than 600 other institutions that have signed.
For Iowa City, which exists under a home-rule charter, enforcing HSB 67 in the city will also likely be illegal. Our principled city councilors unanimously passed a resolution on Jan, 17 that essentially says it’s not the responsibility of the city or its police force to allocate any resources to aid the federal government in upholding immigration law.
That there is staunch opposition to the GOP’s attempts at undermining human rights from the local to national level should give us hope in the chaos. However, there is still much to be done. We must remember that our voice matters, which is why it’s so important to continue calling local and state representatives, even the ones supporting these egregious acts. We also can make appeals to Harreld and the regents, attend protests, sign petitions, and donate if we’re able. We need to work just as quickly as the GOP and this administration has at drafting these violent initiatives to ensure our opposition is accounted for in some way.