In his weekly newsletter to constituents, Iowa District 6 Senator Jason Schultz of Schleswig highlighted what he sees as a growing problem with the potential to “change the fabric of Iowa as we know and love it.” Schultz refers to the lack of immigration enforcement at the nation’s southern border. He acknowledges America as a nation of immigrants but expresses concerns about the consequences of the open border policy. He credits Gov. Kim Reynolds for her stance on the issue, recognizing the impact on Iowa. Since the start of the Biden Administration, an estimated seven million illegal immigrants have entered the country, creating a backlog in immigration court and over two million pounds of drug seizures. Despite being almost 1,000 miles from the southern border, Iowa faces challenges with I-29 and I-35 providing easy routes for illicit activities. Reynolds’ actions include deploying Iowa law enforcement personnel to support Texas’s border defense from Sept. 1 to Oct. 2, 2023. Schultz notes that the initiative included the apprehension of nearly 500 illegal migrants, 42 vehicle pursuits, 40 human smuggling cases, 11 drug trafficking cases, 14 narcotics arrests, six weapons arrests, and 11 recovered stolen vehicles. Schultz says, “I applaud Governor Kim Reynolds for taking part in defending our national border along with 24 other states who understand what is at stake for our citizens. This was a good use of one-time federal ARPA tax dollars. It used federal money to address the neglect of its constitutional duty. We all should thank our military and law enforcement friends who took time away from their jobs and families to do this important work.”
