The Iowa Senate Wednesday night gave final legislative approval to a bill that tells Iowa communities they could lose part of their state funding if they refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials.
The bill targets counties where the sheriff's office isn't honoring "retainer requests" from ICE. Those requests ask the sheriff's office to hold a potentally illegal immigrant 48 hours while ICE investigates to see if they are, indeed, in the country illegally.
Democrats in the Senate decried the legislation. Sen. Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City says it's "fearmongering". However, Senator Jim Carlin of Sioux City called it a bill to protect citizens. He cited a case in Denver, Colorado where the sheriff there wouldn't honor a detainer request and the illegal immigrant hit and killed a resident there. Others pointed to the case in Council Bluffs where a woman was hit and killed by an illegal immigrant who fled the country after he was released.
The legislation could cause local communities to lose up to 90 days of state funding for non-cooperation.
The bill heads to Governor Kim Reynolds desk.