Some of the worst acts committed have been done with good intentions.
The U.S. has been grappling with the topic of illegal immigration, especially in states near the U.S.-Mexico border. The long distance, however, hasn’t stopped lawmakers in Iowa from putting together legislation granting law enforcement questionable authority to deal with these matters.
Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld an injunction blocking the implementation of an Iowa law that makes illegal immigration a state crime. The law grants state law enforcement officers permission to arrest and charge immigrants who have been previously deported or denied admission into the U.S. with an aggravated misdemeanor.
The federal court argued Senate File 2340 was unconstitutional because the federal government, not the state, is responsible for immigration laws and its enforcement. The injunction simply means it has been halted from proceeding.
While illegal immigration is a serious problem many states are trying to tackle, this is not Iowa’s problem. Giving law enforcement this much power is not a good idea.
Iowa is located approximately 1,263 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. That is over an 18-hour drive and would take 460 hours to travel by foot. Iowa is located in the Midwest, so there would be nearly a dozen other states to get through.
Mexico has often been referred to as the primary source of illegal immigration, which makes it extremely illogical for someone to illegally travel to the U.S. and go through 20 days of walking just to get to Iowa.
Iowa is a state plagued with other issues that matter more than illegal immigration. According to an article from the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the GOP lawmakers have done little to address gun violence, college retention, contaminated drinking war, or inadequate mental health services, opting instead to focus on culture war and gender identity.
While those issues are important to tackle on their own, most of Iowa does not seem to consider illegal immigration an extreme priority. Perhaps some are worried, but it would be in the best interest of the overall state for lawmakers to concentrate on other issues that directly impact constituents.
Another issue with this bill is giving law enforcement too much power. It’s easy to forget that police are human, meaning they are susceptible to biases and make choices based on instinct instead of logic.
Giving the officers authority to go after immigrants lacking permanent legal status is a power that can be abused and even exploited to go after legal immigrants who came into the U.S. properly.
Law enforcement is expected to act robustly, but recent times have proven otherwise.
On Jan. 24, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, detained a U.S. military war veteran in New Jersey without a warrant or due process.
Ignoring the fact the current administration has granted ICE the ability to conduct searches and seizures in public locations, a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment, even legal citizens aren’t safe from law enforcement.
The precedent is already established, so granting Iowa lawmakers an authority akin to ICE’s would not fix the problem. It’s also already established as a power for the federal government, not the state, and has serious constitutional violations.
If our lawmakers are willing to bend the Constitution, then it won’t be long before the thought of losing our basic rights will be questioned as well. Illegal immigration is a problem, but it’s not Iowa’s problem.