The Storm Lake Police Department is pursuing the same track as Sioux City police, saying in a time when many people are scared of deportation raids, that police will not stop people to determine their citizenship status.
Sioux City Police Department officials on Thursday said even though Sioux City is not a sanctuary city, officers do not and will not ask about immigration status when dealing with residents, because to do so might silence victims and witnesses.
On Friday, Storm Lake Police Chief Chris Cole spoke similarly.
Cole wrote, “Our officers do not and will not stop individuals to inquire about immigration status, nor do we have access to systems that allow us to verify someone's legal status….Our officers are not trained to enforce federal immigration laws, nor is it our responsibility to do so. Our residents deserve to know that we are here to uphold their safety and rights, regardless of their immigration status.”
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has told law enforcement personnel across the state to prepare to support any federal effort.
Immigration advocates warn against spreading or exaggerating unverified information about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, activity in the state. They say it elevates fears in immigrant and refugee communities.
*Additionally, Republicans on an Iowa Senate panel have advanced a bill that would require teaching about fetal development starting in first grade.
The bill requires showing students a computer-generated video of human development in the womb starting in first grade. Similar bills last year would’ve required the use of a video produced by an anti-abortion group that critics say is medically inaccurate.
Johnston High School student Genevieve Weis says she’s opposed to the bill because it mandates misinformation about human development.
“When students are given false information it leads to confusion and hinders the understanding of important concepts. This not only affects their academics but their ability to make informed decisions about their future,” Weis said.
Abortion rights opponents support the bill. They say it’s important to educate kids about fetal development so they can understand the impact of their future choices around pregnancy and abortion.
*In other Iowa Legislature news, Iowa Senate Democrats have proposed a bill that would provide up to 12 weeks of paid family or medical leave. It would apply to Iowans who work for private businesses with at least 10 employees and all public employers.
Republican Governor Kim Reynolds is asking the legislature to approve family leave for state workers, with four weeks for a birthing or adoptive parent, and one week for a new parent who didn’t give birth.
Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner says Democrats proposed their own bill because Reynolds’ bill is very limited.
Weiner says she doesn’t know how much paid leave would cost the state, but she says it pays dividends by preventing employee turnover.
*Additionally, a bill saying that the Ten Commandments must be displayed in every South Dakota classroom has advanced from the Senate Education Committee.
Opponents say it could open the state up to costly legal battles.
Senate Bill 51 passed Thursday on the narrowest possible margin to the Senate floor, advancing on a 4-3 vote.
Republican state Senator John Carley is the prime sponsor. He has advocated for the inclusion of the document down to the 8x14 dimensions and the supplemental information required if this bill becomes law.
“It talks about other documents like the Mayflower Compact, the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and other documents that were also foundational to governmental systems of the United States," Carley said. "This is an opportunity for South Dakota to be the third or fourth state to bring this to our people. “
Rob Monson, executive director of School Directors of South Dakota, said it’s a poor use of lawmakers' limited time, as a solution in search of a problem.
*In other news, after historic flooding impacted Northwest Iowa towns last June, the Spencer School District is receiving $1.7 million in federal funding to improve two damaged schools.
That money will be directed to the Lincoln and Johnson elementary buildings that were heavily damaged in the flooding this past June.
In a release, Spencer Schools Superintendent Terry Hermann thanked Congressman Randy Feenstra for working on the financial package, which was announced Thursday by Feenstra’s office.
