Pictured: Reynolds answers questions from reporters during a Jan. 27, 2021 press conference on coronavirus statistics in Iowa.
Gov. Kim Reynolds announced this (Thursday) afternoon she is deploying Iowa State Patrol troopers to the U.S.-Mexico border to aid in border security. The announcement is in response to requests from Texas Gov., Greg Abbott, and Arizona Gov., Doug Ducey, through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), which allows states to share resources and personnel with each other during a crisis. “My first responsibility is to the health and safety of Iowans and the humanitarian crisis at our nation’s southern border is affecting all 50 states,” says Reynolds. “The rise in drugs, human trafficking, and violent crime has become unsustainable. Iowa has no choice but to act, and it’s why I am honoring Texas’ Emergency Management Assistance Compact following assurances from the Iowa Department of Public Safety that it will not compromise our ability to provide all necessary public safety services to Iowans.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection data from March 2021 shows a 233-percent increase in fentanyl seizures from the same time a year ago, which climbed to 300 percent in May 2021. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says the state has also seen a notable increase in methamphetamine seizures during the year’s first quarter. Florida, Nebraska and Idaho are also sending law enforcement to assist at the nation’s southern border.