×

Bill meets local opposition

Some Marshalltown residents, police chief speak out against state immigration enforcement bill

Marshalltown residents Grant Sincox, far left, and Maria Gonzalez, third from left, were among the crowd gathered at the Iowa Statehouse rotunda earlier this week in opposition to SF 481. The bill would allow state funding to be taken from local law enforcement agencies that limit enforcement of immigration law.

A bill calling for state funds to be denied to local governments which limit the enforcement of immigration laws is in the Iowa House of Representatives, and it has some local opposition.

“I attended the rally at the capitol because SF (Senate file) 481 would create a divide in our community between undocumented immigrants and our local law enforcement,” said Marshalltown resident Grant Sincox of a rally at the Iowa Statehouse rotunda earlier this week.

Also at the capitol during the demonstration was Marshalltown resident, Immigrant Allies of Marshalltown member and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient Maria González.

“The reason so many of us are upset about it is because we feel like it destroys the years of work that we’ve worked on in our community for a positive relationship with law enforcement,” she said of the bill.

The legislation was introduced in and passed by the Republican-controlled state Senate during the 2017 legislative session, and now the House, also controlled by the GOP, may consider passing it this year.

The bill would prohibit local law enforcement agencies and governments from intentionally limiting the enforcement of immigration law. It also has language to ensure local law enforcement fully cooperates with federal immigration enforcement; breaking the law set out in the bill could be met with loss of state funding for the local entity.

Proponents of the bill have said it is meant, in part, to prevent the establishment of so-called “sanctuary cities” in Iowa.

“It’s still something that I oppose from a professional law enforcement perspective,” said Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper of SF 481. “This is going to diminish public safety, it’s going to make people hesitant to work with us, and it’s going to cause problems, in the end; we don’t have a sanctuary city problem in Iowa.”

Tupper, Sincox and González all said they worry about the impact such a law, if passed, would have on trust between local law enforcement and the undocumented immigrant community in Marshalltown; section 7 of the bill does provide protections for undocumented witnesses and victims of crime, to encourage them to report crimes to local law enforcement.

Opponents also denounced the bill because they feel it causes local law enforcement to act in the place of federal immigration agents.

“We feel like the undocumented community would be less likely to contact the police if there was a (crime) issue or if they had something going on,” González said. “By forcing local police to act like … immigration agents, I feel like we’re taking a big step back.”

The bill states that local entities must fully comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests and other legal federal documents.

“The problem of immigration is not going to be solved at the local or state level; the federal government needs to deal with it,” Tupper said, adding the MPD already fully complies and cooperates with federal agencies. “I also make it very clear to people that if you commit a crime, if you’re arrested, we’re going to cooperate fully with every federal law enforcement agency that requests that cooperation; that’s never changed.”

González also said she worries that this legislation, if passed into law, could “promote” racial profiling; such profiling, based on “race, skin color, language spoken or national origin” is prohibited under section 6 of SF 481 “except as permitted by the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of the State of Iowa.”

She said the MPD has worked hard to build trust with Marshalltown’s immigrant community.

“We have worked so hard to build a community that is welcoming and loving and accepting for everybody,” González said. “I know that Chief Tupper has worked super hard to reach out to the Latino community as well; we don’t want to take a step back in the wrong direction.”

To read legislation, including SF 481, visit https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation

——–

Contact Adam Sodders at (641) 753-6611 or asodders@timesrepublican.com

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today