One of the six African Americans serving in the Iowa House delivered an emotional speech to mark the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Junior's assassination earlier this week. Representative Ako Abdul-Samad, a Democrat from Des Moines, has been a member of the Iowa House for the past 12 … [Read more...]
Western Iowa woman’s death cited in anti-sanctuary cities debate
The parents of a Council Bluffs woman who was killed by a drunk driver in Omaha two years ago watched Tuesday's debate in the Iowa House on an anti-sanctuary cities bill. Twenty-one-year-old Sarah Root who was killed hours after she graduated from college by a drag-racing drunk driver who was in … [Read more...]
Iowa House passes anti-sanctuary cities bill
The Iowa House has voted to crack-down on Iowa cities or counties that fail to cooperate with federal authorities seeking to deport immigrants who entered the country illegally. "These are all traditional levels of cooperation that take place every day across the nation and across most areas of … [Read more...]
Opponents of anti-sanctuary cities bill rally at statehouse
Hundreds gathered in the Iowa capitol this afternoon to rally against a bill designed to penalize any so-called sanctuary cities in the state. "As an attempt at a partial, ill-conceived resolution of the immigration problem, I oppose Senate File 481," Father Michael Amadeo, vicar general of the … [Read more...]
Iowa City ordinance cited as reason for anti-sanctuary cities bill
Eleven of the 12 Republicans on a House committee have advanced an anti-sanctuary cities bill, making it eligible for House debate. The legislation would deny state money to any city in the state that declares itself a sanctuary to people at risk of deportation because of their immigration … [Read more...]
Trump urges U.S. Senate to pass Grassley’s immigration bill
President Donald Trump today said the immigration bill Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley is sponsoring in the U.S. Senate fits the "White House framework" and Trump is urging senators to vote for it. Grassley is the lead sponsor of the legislation. It would eventually grant citizenship to 1.8 million … [Read more...]
Grassley and Ernst among senators offering Trump’s immigration plan as a bill
The two Republicans who represent Iowa in the United States Senate are co-sponsoring a bill that mirrors President Trump's immigration plan. It includes $25 billion for border security as well as a path to U.S. citizenship for the 1.8 million people who applied for or were qualified for President … [Read more...]
Reynolds says sanctuary cities are a public safety concern
Governor Kim Reynolds is "strongly opposed" to any Iowa city declaring itself a "sanctuary" in an effort to shield undocumented immigrants from deportation. "One of my top, number one priorities to make sure that Iowans are safe and so, by doing that, I think we need to honor the laws that are on … [Read more...]
Steve King says Trump’s immigration offer ‘falls far short’
President Trump outlined what he called "vital reform" of the nation's immigration laws during his "State of the Union" speech last night, but Republican Congressman Steve King is skeptical. "The president said he wants to solve this immigration issue once and for all," King said, "but I think even … [Read more...]
Long, emotional capitol hearing held on sanctuary cities crackdown
There was a packed hearing today at the statehouse for a bill that would withhold state funds from cities and counties that fail to cooperate with federal immigration agents and keep a person in jail for expected deportation. A handful of police chiefs, including Marshalltown's Michael Tupper, … [Read more...]