Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs immigration enforcement bill into law
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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed into law Wednesday a bill that makes it a crime for a person to be in the state if they were previously denied entry to or were deported from the U.S.
The big picture: Reynolds is the latest of several Republican governors who've accused President Biden of not doing enough to enforce federal immigration law to take state action in response to the record numbers of immigrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border amid a wider global humanitarian crisis.
- Reynolds is among several Republican governors to send National Guard soldiers to Texas to assist at the border.
- The Iowa bill follows similar legislation in Texas that authorizes state officials to arrest and seek the deportation of immigrants who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without legal authorization that's on hold while it's challenged in the courts.
Details: Undocumented immigrants could face up to two years in prison if they're found to have illegally entered Iowa under the state's new law, SF 2340, which is due to take effect on July 1.
- "The Biden Administration has failed to enforce our nation's immigration laws, putting the protection and safety of Iowans at risk," Reynolds said in a statement on Wednesday.
- "Those who come into our country illegally have broken the law, yet Biden refuses to deport them. This bill gives Iowa law enforcement the power to do what he is unwilling to do: enforce immigration laws already on the books."
What they're saying: Mark Stringer, ACLU of Iowa's executive director, in a statement Wednesday called the bill "one of the most extreme, discriminatory, and unconstitutional anti-immigrant bills in the country."
- Representatives for the Biden administration did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.
Go deeper: Biden plans order to limit southern border crossings by end of month
