ICE raids have increased in Iowa in recent weeks, including at workplaces. Here’s what you need to know.
According to immigrant advocacy group Escucha Mi Voz, ICE detained at least four people across eastern Iowa in June:
- Ozgur Demirkan, a Turkish student attending Kirkwood Community College who worked as a DoorDash driver, was detained in Iowa City;
- Rozenna Nazia Ali, a church employee from Fiji, was detained in Butler County;
- Jose Alejandro Cocmaxsolovid and Jose Luis Mejia Lopez, both Guatemalan nationals, were detained at a residence and construction site in Waterloo.
Those detentions come as ICE receives a major funding boost.
Congress recently approved another $70 billion for immigration enforcement. (Meanwhile, an estimated 96,000 Iowans are expected to lose Medicaid coverage this year after the GOP-led Congress refused to extend subsidies to help people afford health insurance.)
All six members of Iowa’s congressional delegation voted in favor of the funding, which was quickly signed into law by President Donald Trump.
Since then, immigration advocates say detentions have increased across the country, with roughly 10,000 people detained just the past week alone.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also gave the Trump administration the ability to remove temporary protected status from legal immigrants who have fled war or disease in their countries, which could mean another 1.3 million people—again, legally in this country—are at risk of detention and deportation.
In response, organizations like Escucha Mi Voz and the Iowa City are encouraging Iowans to “care for one another in difficult times,” and connect with local support groups.
If you witness suspected ICE activity, need help locating a loved one in detention, or want to get more info on Know Your Rights trainings, you can call Escucha Mi Voz’s hotline at (319-382-5203).
