The Woodbury County Sheriff said Tuesday that he is holding no undocumented people on behalf of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
As President Donald Trump continues into a fourth week with an announced goal of deporting undocumented people, sightings of ICE officers in Iowa have set off rumors of large-scale immigration raids.
While those rumors have been unfounded, many worry about what might happen next.
Sheriff Chad Sheehan told Siouxland Public Media he has not been contacted at all by ICE officials. Sheehan said he was not certain how quickly he would have to take people into the county jail once federal officers reached out.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has said all law enforcement personnel in the state must cooperate with ICE initiatives on immigration law enforcement.
*Additionally, the Sioux City School Board on Monday discussed the proposed budget for next year, which would have a steady property tax levy rate.
According to a board memo, the projected 2025-26 year general fund spending budget would be $203.5 million dollars, up from the current year budget of $198 million.
The school property tax levy rate for next year at this point is projected to stay the same from the current rate. That levy rate is $12.38 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
In the budget of one year ago, the levy rate was higher.
The school board members will next return to look at the levy rate and general funding spending on February 24.
*Additionally, Sioux City Council members have started the process of setting next year’s budget, and in its current form the plan would raise property taxes. Alejandra Perez has more.
The current year city property tax rate is $16.54 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation.
The proposed tax levy for next year 2025-2026, is $17.43, which is a fairly large tax increase.
The proposed total budget is $489 million.
The two major portions are $231 million for larger projects in the Capital Improvement Program budget, and $258 million in the operating budget.
The Sioux City Council members will next discuss the budget on February 26.
Iowa cities must set their 2025-2026 budgets by April 30.
*In other news, the South Dakota House Education Committee narrowly advanced a bill requiring public and private school employees to disclose to parents if their child expresses “gender confusion” or “dysphoria.”
The bill also prohibits school staff from providing instruction about exploring gender identity.
Republican Representative Logan Manhart is the prime sponsor of the bill, and he said several other states have passed similar laws pertaining to such parental rights.
Manhart said, “We’re making sure all members of a school are open to transparency between the parents and them.”
The bill, which was advanced by the committee on Monday, does not define gender dysphoria or gender confusion.
The bill was opposed by several school counselors.
*Iowans gathered at the Statehouse on Monday to protest a bill that would limit lawsuits against pesticide makers for failing to warn consumers of health risks.
Protesters asked lawmakers to reject the bill proposed by Bayer and instead to prioritize Iowans’ health over the Roundup producer’s profits.
Nick Schutt of Alden, Iowa, farms part-time and is a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement.
He says most of his family members have had cancer, and his sister died. He believes water polluted by ag chemicals is to blame, and he says chemical companies should be held accountable.
“This is not right. It’s not right for the families who have suffered so much already from the loss of family members. How many of these lawsuits have been proven to have merit? Iowans in similar situations deserve to be made whole,” Schutt said.
Bayer lobbyists say the bill just ensures pesticide makers aren’t sued for failing to warn people of health risks while they’re following federal labeling requirements.
