Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — The Iowa House passed a package of immigration-related proposals for state government, private businesses, and criminal defendants who are in the county illegally.
It also calls for an oath of citizenship to be included on voter registration forms.
Representative Brooke Boden, a Republican from Indianola, says the bill establishes clear, consistent standards.
The bill adopts the governor’s executive order as law, so all state agencies must verify employees, and anyone granted a state license is eligible for work in the United States. All three state universities and all public and private K-12 schools would be required to do the same check.
The bill creates new penalties for businesses that knowingly hire people who’ve provided a fake Social Security number that doesn’t belong to them. The bill also would deny bail to anyone arrested for a serious crime in Iowa who cannot prove they are a citizen or legal U.S. resident.
Representative Angel Ramirez, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says the federal system used to check immigration status is error prone, and the no-bail part of the bill violates the constitution’s due process guarantees.
The legislation, which is now a collection of several bills, passed the House on a 78 to 16 vote and returns to the Senate for review.
KIWA Staff Photo
