Stop the hate on the hill - Reject SF 481!

Last year our immigrant communities were attacked at the State House in conjunction with a larger national effort to purge our country of the feared "other". This year, we expect to see more hate on the hill. SF 481 seeks localize federal immigration authority by forcing local law enforcement to do the job of Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE); it also targets public entities such as municipalities or counties who have taken a hard stance on immigration by speaking out in favor of protecting those communities; finally it threatens to cut funding from public entities that express support for immigrant communities.The bill passed the Senate on a party-line vote and now sits in the House Public Safety Committee.We're tired of these low-blow attacks on immigrants. We're fighting back! We have the power to stop SF 481.

 Here's what you can do:

1. Contact SF 481 committee members and tell them to reject SF 481. We've created a form which you can use to email all 21 members at once.
2. Contact House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow and tell him not to bring this bill up for debate
3. Attend legislative forums or coffees

Use these talking points as a guideline:

• This legislation would destroy years of work towards positive relationships with law enforcement. Trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement is essential to community policing in Iowa. SF 481 deters people from these communities from reporting crimes out of fear of law enforcement.
• This legislation is a direct threat to public safety. By forcing local law enforcement agencies to act as federal immigration agents, we’re taking away resources from stopping high-level or violent crimes.
• This legislation promotes racial profiling. This legislation encourages law enforcement officers and other public entities to profile Iowans based on their appearance or spoken languages, question these individuals regarding their immigration status, and report them to ICE. This is illegal and violates their basic human rights.
• It’s a solution looking for a problem. Our immigration system is in disarray. This legislation will not fix the deeply-embedded problems that need to be addressed. SF 481 simply passes the buck to local agencies.

Together, we can stop these attacks on our immigrant neighbors and friends. Immigrants are Iowans, too. And we're here to stay!