Immigration advocacy group bracing for enforcement of Trump's immigration policies
An immigration advocacy group says they're having conversations with the community about what could happen when President-elect Donald Trump's immigration policies take effect.
In a memo released Friday morning, Gov. Kim Reynolds asked the Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Iowa Department of Corrections to "fully cooperate and assist" with the implementation of federal immigration policy once the Trump administration takes over.
Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, or Iowa MMJ, provides immigration legal services and does grassroots organizing. Founding executive director Erica Johnson said she was not surprised, but disappointed by the memo.
"The worst-case scenario is that our communities are ripped apart," Johnson said. "What happens when our country enforces U.S. immigration laws is it destroys families, it destroys individuals' lives, and it destroys our communities."
Johnson said people are scared, and they have a lot of questions. That's why her organization is being proactive.
"Communities are coming together to plan to support each other in the event that Donald Trump, Kim Reynolds and others decide to carry out these anti-immigrant actions around our state," she said.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, Iowa is home to an estimated 105,000 non-citizens. vlog reached out to both departments that received Reynolds' memo.
A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Safety sent vlog a statement that read:
"The Department of Public Safety is prepared to comply with the directive from Governor Reynolds. It is consistent with existing DPS policy and practice."