Attorney General Bird Leads Coalition Supporting Florida’s Immigration Enforcement Laws

DES MOINES-- Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced yesterday she is leading an 18-state coalition supporting Florida's law to help enforce immigration law.

Like Iowa, Florida adopted a law that mirrors federal law-if an illegal alien commits a violent crime, is deported, and illegally reenters the country, the alien has committed the crime of illegal re-entry. A lawsuit filed against Florida claims that the state law interferes with existing federal law and wrongly claims that States have no right to enforce immigration law. However, federal law from the 1990s encourages state-federal cooperation on immigration enforcement.

Iowa's brief supporting Florida points out that States can enforce their criminal laws even if there is a federal overlap. For example, many crimes relating to illegal drugs violate both federal and state law, but that does not keep states from prosecuting drug crimes.

"States should be able to partner with the federal government to handle immigration crimes," said Attorney General Bird. "Just as we work together to fight against drugs and human trafficking, we can and should partner to keep our states safe from criminals here illegally. Iowa, along with 17 other states, is asking the Supreme Court to allow Florida to uphold their law."

Iowa led the brief submitted to the Supreme Court along with 17 other states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

Read the full brief here.

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For More Information:

Jen Green

jen.green@ag.iowa.gov