Illegal immigration remains a serious concern throughout the country. While the Biden administration refuses to act, states are stepping up to protect the country. Fourteen states, including Iowa, have sent National Guard soldiers south to assist in securing the southern border. Additionally, many states have enacted legislation to allow for the detention and arrest of illegal immigrants. This year, we passed Senate File 2340 with bipartisan support to discourage illegal immigrants from coming to Iowa.
The new law is modeled after Texas Law SB 4. It’s straightforward, and makes it clear that illegal immigrants remain illegal in Iowa. Under the bill, if a person has been previously caught in the country illegally and they later enter the State of Iowa, they are guilty of the crime of reentry into the state and can face various penalties. Contrary to what some pro-open border Democrats have said, SF 2340 is not anti-immigrant – it’s pro-legal immigration, and focused solely on illegal immigration.
Instead of protecting our borders, the Federal Government has decided to sue the State of Iowa for taking action against the record levels of illegal immigration. The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Iowa challenging the constitutionality
of Senate File 2340. According to the Biden DOJ complaint, SF 2340 is unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause and Foreign Commerce Clause. The federal government claims that federal law preempts the new law and is asking for an injunction to prevent the law from being enforced.
However, Iowa would never have needed to consider passing SF 2340 if the Biden administration had done its job to protect Americans and secure the border. Millions of individuals have entered the country illegally since Biden took office and he
continues to do nothing to stop it. If states don’t take action and enforce the law, who will?
The goal of Senate File 2340 is not to scare or intimidate those who follow the process and come to the country legally – the goal is to discourage those who enter the country illegally from coming to Iowa. Legal immigration has benefited our country, but illegal immigration puts Iowans at risk.
Rep. Taylor Collins resides in Mediapolis and represents Iowa House District 95, encompassing all of Louisa, and parts of Des Moines, Henry, and Muscatine counties.
