Iowa AG Bird sues Winneshiek County Sheriff Marx over sanctuary county law

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has filed a lawsuit against Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx, alleging that he violated Iowa’s sanctuary county law. Sheriff Marx posted on Facebook on February 4 saying that he would not honor federal immigration detainer requests if they aren’t backed by a court order or a warrant. He said he would, “make every effort to block, interfere and interrupt their actions from moving forward.”  Governor Kim Reynolds filed a complaint with AG Bird’s Office after the post was made. The AG’s investigation found that the post violated Iowa Code chapter 27A, Iowa’s sanctuary counties law. Sheriff Marx was given until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday to remove the original post and then issue a clarifying statement that he would comply with I.C.E. detainers to the people of Winneshiek County. AG Bird said in a statement on Thursday, “Sanctuary counties are illegal under Iowa law…Sheriff Marx was given the chance to retract his statement, follow the law, and honor ICE detainers, but he refused—even at a cost to his home county. He left us with no choice but to take the case to court to enforce our laws and ensure cooperation with federal immigration authorities.”