DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill in Iowa that would allow the state to arrest and deport some migrants is stoking anxiety among immigrant communities, leaving some to wonder: “Should I leave Iowa?”

The legislation, which is expected to be signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, would make it a state crime for a person to be in Iowa if previously denied admission to or removed from the United States. It mirrors part of a Texas law is currently blocked in court.

Across Iowa, Latino and immigrant community groups are organizing informational meetings and materials to try to answer people’s questions. They’re also asking local and county law enforcement agencies for official statements, as well as face-to-face meetings.

As 80 people gathered in a Des Moines public library community room last week, community organizer Fabiola Schirrmeister pulled written questions out of a tin can. In Spanish, one asked: “Is it safe to call the police?” Another asked: “Can Iowa police ask me about my immigration status?” And: “What happens if I’m racially profiled?”

Erica Johnson, executive director of Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, the organization hosting the meeting, sighed when one person asked: “Should I leave Iowa?”

“Entiendo el sentido,” she said. I understand the sentiment.

Schirrmeister, who hosts a local Spanish-language radio show, explained how long organizers have worked to build a bridge with law enforcement.

“It’s sad how it’s going to hurt the trust between local enforcement, pro-immigrant organizations and the immigrant communities,” she said.

Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert told The Associated Press in an email that immigration status does not factor into the department’s work to keep the community safe, and he said it would be “disingenuous and contradictory” to incorporate it at the same time law enforcement has been working to eliminate such bias.

“I’m not interested, nor are we equipped, funded or staffed to take on additional responsibilities that historically have never been a function of local law enforcement,” he added.

In Iowa and across the country, Republican leaders have rallied around the refrain that “every state is a border state” as they accuse President Joe Biden of neglecting his responsibilities to enforce federal immigration law. That’s led Republican governors to send troops to support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, and legislatures to propose a variety of state-level strategies.

Iowa’s lawmakers advanced the measure to address what one lawmaker called a “clear and present danger” posed to Iowans by some migrants crossing the southern border. Republican Rep. Steve Holt acknowledged questions of constitutionality around the bill but ultimately argued that Iowa has “the right, the duty and the moral obligation to act to protect our citizens and our sovereignty.”

“If we end up in a court battle with the federal government, should this pass, bring it on,” Holt said during a subcommittee meeting in February. “I think it’s time for every state to stand up and say … ‘we’ve had enough. We will defend our people.’”

The Texas law is stalled in court, after a challenge from the U.S. Department of Justice, which says it conflicts with the federal government’s immigration authority. The department did not immediately comment on the Iowa bill.

The Iowa legislation, like the Texas law, could mean criminal charges for people who have outstanding deportation orders or who have previously been removed from or denied admission to the U.S. Once in custody, migrants could either agree to a judge’s order to leave the U.S. or be prosecuted.

The judge’s order must identify the transportation method for leaving the U.S. and a law enforcement officer or Iowa agency to monitor migrants’ departures. Those who don’t leave could face rearrest under more serious charges.

The bill in Iowa faces the same questions of implementation and enforcement as the Texas law, since deportation is a “complicated, expensive and often dangerous” federal process, said immigration law expert Huyen Pham of Texas A&M School of Law.

“How are Iowa law enforcement agencies going to determine if someone has entered Iowa in violation of an immigration order?” Pham asked. She said questions remain about which country a detained person would be sent back to, how they would get there and how agencies would communicate with those countries.

Deportations are a binational process, she said, meaning the federal government negotiates with the governments of other countries. Disjointed immigration policy state-by-state could threaten those international relationships, Pham said.

Mexico has already said that it would reject any state or local government enforcement of immigration laws.

The Iowa State Patrol, as well as representatives of multiple police departments and county sheriff’s offices across the state, declined to comment on the bill before it is signed into law.

Shawn Ireland, president of the Iowa State Sheriff’s and Deputies Association and a deputy sheriff in Linn County, said in an email that law enforcement officials would consult with county attorneys for guidance if the bill becomes law.

But Ireland added that community-police relations are a priority, and law enforcement’s focus “is not on looking for people who came to this country illegally and are not committing crimes.”

Manny Galvez, leader of the Escucha Mi Voz (Hear My Voice) community group based in the rural city of West Liberty, said the bill has galvanized immigrant communities, including some that are in harder-to-reach areas of Iowa, to send the message that immigration is a human issue and that the state’s meatpacking plants, cornfields and construction projects rely on immigrant labor.

Lawmakers advancing a bill like this one are disconnected from that reality, Galvez said.

“Criminalizing the immigrant community is not the answer,” he said. “We tell people: ‘Don’t be afraid. No tengan miedo. We are going to keep fighting this.’”

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Mexican authorities on Monday surged police officers, immigration agents and National Guard troops to the Rio Grande in Juarez, Mexico.

Authorities told a KTSM/Border Report camera crew their instructions were to offer transportation to shelters in Juarez to those foreign nationals who do not have immediate appointments for asylum with U.S. authorities in El Paso.

Hundreds of public servants in work uniforms, including soldiers carrying AR-15 style rifles and a Mexican National Migration Institute canine unit, gathered Monday morning by the Big Red X monument near the Rio Grande.

The officers and soldiers then deployed to the banks or the river, with several seen heading to the portion of the river near Gate 36 of the U.S. border wall. Thousands of migrants have used that maintenance portal to turn themselves over to the U.S. Border Patrol and request asylum once they have come across the river illegally.

The gate also was the site of what Texas authorities are calling a riot March 21, in which a large group of migrants forcibly overwhelmed Texas National Guard troops.

Texas has placed barbwire on the banks of the river, several yards in front of the U.S. border wall to discourage migrants from coming over illegally.

NUEVO LAREDO, TAMAULIPAS. (KGNS) - A three-year-old girl is dead after allegedly being hit by a vehicle in Nuevo Laredo.

According to the Tamaulipas Investigative Police Department, the incident happened on Easter Sunday on the north side of Nuevo Laredo.

The department identified the girl by her first name, Leslie.

The victim’s family members took the three-year-old to a medical facility, but the girl was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver involved in the crash has also been identified by police.

No word at this time from Mexican authorities if the driver will receive any criminal charges.

LOCKHART, TX. (NBC) - The people who work at a particular central Texas bank are used to customers stopping by to deposit their bucks but that took on a whole different meaning.

Security cameras at Lockhart National Bank captured the moments a small deer crashed through a window in downtown Lockhart, which is roughly 30 miles south of Austin.

A bank official said employees heard a loud bang when the deer crashed into the community room.

Fortunately, no one was in the room at the time, but the stunned deer proceeded to make its way through other parts of the building trying to escape.

Lockhart Police soon arrived and called animal control officers.

Animal control worked for 20 minutes to move the deer toward the building’s front door, and the animal eventually ran outside.

No bucks were stolen or harmed during the event.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - The City of Laredo is releasing plans of its own for the Great American Eclipse.

Laredoans will have the opportunity to take in the eclipse next Monday during two solar watch parties.

One option is at the Joe A. Guerra Public Library while the other is the branch library on Palo Blanco Road.

Both parties take place on the same day at the same time and all ages are welcomed.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - An annual event that aims to raise money for cancer research is taking place later this month and organizers are asking the community to help join the cause.

The American Cancer Society will hold its annual Relay for Life Fundraiser on April 19 at the Student Activity Center.

Every year, roughly 80 teams from local schools to nonprofit organizations and businesses gather to take part in the cause.

This year’s theme is “Carnival for a Cure” where participants will be asked to decorate their booths like a carnival booth.

Before the event, the Relay for Life of Webb County will hold its “Carnival of Hope Survivors Social Dinner” where they will gather to recognize local survivors of cancer.

That event will take place on Thursday, April 11, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Falcon Bank event center located on McPherson and Del Mar.

If you would like to get a team together and get involved, you can call 956-286-6955 or 956-744-9110 or click here.

The event will take place on April 19, 2024.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - A Mexican Citizen is arrested by federal agents after they allegedly found porn material involving minors in his possession.

The incident happened on Easter Sunday, at the Juarez Lincoln Bridge when officers referred the driver of a 2014 Chevrolet to secondary inspection.

During the inspection, officers found pornographic material involving children in his belongings.

The driver was arrested, and the case was turned over to Homeland Security.