Meeting Public Comments

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HF 572

A bill for an act establishing the criminal offense of the smuggling of persons, and providing penalties. (Formerly HSB 15.)

Agenda

Subcommittee members: Garrett-CH, Knox, Webster

Date: Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Time: 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Location: Room 217 Conference Room

Comments Submitted:

The purpose of comments is to provide information to members of the subcommittee.

Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.

03-31-2025

Gunda Brost

These harmful types of initiatives are trying to make a police state in which everyone suspects everyone else and people will be forced to constantly show their papers. It is ripe for abuse and fraud such as someone claiming they need to see paperwork in order to drive someone and then steal it. It also makes our communities less safe when undocumented victims or witnesses of crime are too afraid to ask for rides from ordinary people to escape. Imagine Jeffrey Dahmers victim would have to show his paperwork to get a ride from the police or a bystander to get away from dahmer

03-31-2025

Byron Plumley [Cedar Valley Advocacy for Immigrant and Refugee Rights]

Senators,This proposed legislation is simply an effort to prevent Iowa citizens from offering support and assistance to new neighbors...yes, think of immigrants as neighbors who want to work, support their families, and live safely. Vote NO on 572. It is more hateful legislation and not who we are in Iowa.Sincerely,Byron Plumley1716 Park DriveCedar Falls, IA. 50613

03-31-2025

Margo Vanderhill

HF572 will only hurt Iowa and do nothing to solve immigration issues. The bill would penalize anyone who helps an uncdocumented person in any way, even if they were unaware of a person's immigration status. Furthermore, it would suggest that someone's immigration status means that they should be treated as though they did not deserve human dignity and respect. I also believe it would increase the fear among undocumented people which is not a humane tactic and would degrade our sense of a common humanity which could lead to harrassment. This bill also increases the likelihood that citizens who "look like immigrants" will be targeted without cause. Vote against this bill!

03-31-2025

Martha Steele [Immigrant Action Network, AMMPARO]

I strongly urge you not to support HF 572. Many of our asylum seekers do not have driver's licenses and so are driven to their lawyer appointments, ICE check ins and medical appointments by volunteers who could be arrested under this bill. it is cruel and dangerous.

03-31-2025

Jacobson James

I urge you to kill this bill. This is not about trafficking. This is about criminalizing compassion for human beings. It is overbroad and poorly written. Please tackle some genuine issues. Haven't you done enough to place white men at the top of the food chain already. How far will you take the MAGA madness?

03-31-2025

Lisa Munoz

HF 572 is an unnecessary bill that will force good people to choose between what is legal and what is right. It will not address safety, but rather serve to criminalize humanitarian actions. Please oppose this bill. Thank you.

03-31-2025

Gabrielle DeWitt

Vote NO on HF 572!The hateful antiimmigrant legislation has to stop! This is turning Iowa in a hateful place to live. This legislation sounds like it is to protect immigrants from being smuggled, but instead could be used against someone helping an undocumented person get to an appointment or run an errand. Our community members without documentation will feel unsafe and unwelcome. Please vote No!!

03-31-2025

Yer Vang

I oppose HF 572. This bill is problematic and overly vague, causing tremendous harm to Iowans. The bill's intended effect is to intimidate Iowans by threatening to criminalize humanitarian acts of mercy to those who provide transportation to the needy in our community. Federal law already provides criminal penalties for smuggling and harboring both of which are federal offenses already. This bill is another example of creating an unnecessary solution to a nonexistent problem. It is likely the consequence of this bill would lead to criminalizing Iowans who are simply providing basic charity to immigrants; another example of how laws are used to intimidate and criminalize the poor.

03-31-2025

Brian Julin-McCleary [St John Lutheran Church]

HF 572 is an immoral bill that will unfairly endanger my sisters and brothers in Christ care for their neighbors as we gather to worship and tend to basic human needs.Please vote no on HF 572.Thank you,Pastor Brian JulinMcCleary

03-31-2025

Brigitte Cornelius

Please vote NO to HF 572. No to a Police State, to an SS checking out every movement citizens make even when being good Christians and helping their neighbors, fellow humans that only want to have the best for their children, just as we all do.

03-31-2025

Brigitte Cornelius

03-31-2025

Marcia Morales

Please vote NO to HF 572. This legislation assumes all individuals who transport individuals may do so under malicious conditions. Or, the person being transported is a criminal or illegal immigrant based on racial bias or stereotype. As a constituent, our peace officers or ICE need proper evidence and government issued warrants to enforce laws. The transportation of an individual could be within our transportation system taking a person to an appointment, or an essential worker taking a child out of a harmful situation. This legislation threatens all individuals of our society in helping each other. Additionally, our democracy was created on the foundation of the recognition of each persons worth and dignity. Im addition to fundamental freedom and rights. Please vote no!

03-31-2025

Kathleen McElligatt

Vote NO on HF 572."The bill could lead to people being arrested for simply driving someone who is undocumented to an appointment or for people who can't prove their documented status being charged with a crime. The bill would increase fear among immigrant families as well as increase antiimmigrant sentiment in the state.Similar bills in other states have led to a decrease in the ability of local law enforcement to have effective, trusting relationships with communities.

03-31-2025

Elizabeth Folkers

Please Vote NO to HF 572. This bill is deeply xenophobic and targets our immigrant communities that bring so much value to Iowa and should be welcomed with open arms. God calls upon us to respect immigrants and our neighbors, including those that flee due to injustices, violence, or poverty in their origin nation and also those just looking for a better life. Please Vote NO to HF 572.

03-31-2025

Jane Patton

:Committee Members:Iowa is not an antiimmigrant state. Vote NO on HF 572! The bill could lead to people being arrested for simply driving someone who is undocumented to an appointment or for people who can't prove their documented status being charged with a crime. The bill would increase fear among immigrant families as well as increase antiimmigrant sentiment in the state.Similar bills in other states have led to a decrease in the ability of local law enforcement to have effective, trusting relationships with communities. Please do right by all Iowans.Jane Patton

04-01-2025

Lori VanLo

Your breathtaking ignorance is only outmatched by the sheer bigotry enshrined in this law. Congratulations on championing legislation so steeped in racism and discrimination that it will be remembered as a testament to intolerance and moral failure.

04-01-2025

Carissa Benesh

Vote NO on HF 572. It allows for people who simply don't have paperwork with them to be charged with a crime. Iowa has historically always been welcoming to immigrants and for good reason. Our success as a state and a nation depend on making immigration an easier process, not a harder one.

04-01-2025

Courtenay Wolf [private citizen]

Vote no on HF 572. This bill infringes my religious freedom. It puts an unreasonable burden on me as I live out my faith and may lead to me being punished by the state for following Jesus's instructions. In Matthew 25: 3446 Jesus tells us that we will be judged and that to inherit the kingdom of God we must act as follows: 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.It is not up to me to ask about someone's immigration status if I give them a ride to the store are to a doctor. He doesn't say only help those who have a certain status or a certain paper. He is clear that to inherit the kingdom of God, I must do these things. Mathew 25: 45 Truly I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me. 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

04-01-2025

Sandra Robbins

Heck no to bigotry and injustice. We already know that immigrants are not receiving due process and being falsely accused of gang membership, crime, and you unlawful presence in the US just because of the way they look (whether they have tattoos, look like an immigrant, or speak another language in public. A man in the US LEGALLY was sent to Guantanamo Bay because he had a neck tattoo. Its not right! Dont let this happen in our own state by writing profiling into law. Vote no on hf 457.

04-01-2025

Cheri Lane [n/a]

Please vote NO to HF 572. Why is Iowa legislators wasting so much time and resources trying criminalizing the transportation of our immigrant neighbors? Iowa needs our immigrant neighbors as an essential workforce that keeps our economic system running well. We all benefit from immigrants as our ancestors were once also immigrants to this state.

04-01-2025

Marcos Lester McSweeney

Please vote against this, it's pointless and cruel. There are already better laws against smuggling, this is about hostility to immigrants. Should I also keep track if any passengers in my car filed their taxes correctly last year? If they missed any credit card payments?

04-01-2025

John Doe

This bill is capricious, loyalist and will not protect anyone's interests. It will only act on the basis of a negative group stereotype. This bill has no common sense, but to criminalizes anyone. Leave federal law to the Federal government. Oppose!!

04-01-2025

Thomas StClair

Vote NO on HF 572! This law would criminalize compassionate activities of Iowa citizens who volunteer their time to ensure that the rights of our immigrant neighbors are protected. They do this by driving them to legal hearings, lawyer appointments and medical services. Criminalizing these activities further deprives our hardworking immigrant communities of their legal protections and prevents other Iowans from exercising their moral and religious obligations to their neighbors. The law is cruel, divisive and not worthy of our state.

04-01-2025

Crystal Duffy

How are immigrants supposed to check in with Homeland Security if they can't get a driver's license in the state of Iowa and now no one else can drive them? Do ya'll understand the laws at all?? You claim to want immigrants to do things the "legal" way and then make it impossible for them to follow the law? Do some dang research before you propose these ridiculous freaking bills.

04-01-2025

Gary Vent

I encourage this committee to reject this proposal. This bill has the potential to criminalize giving basic assistance to another human being in need. As a volunteer at St Vincent DePaul for over 35 years, I must strongly condemn this approach to immigration reform. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

04-01-2025

Eliza Willis

Dear committee members:I am writing in opposition to this bill. I cannot understand why the legislature would pass a bill making it a crime to provide basic assistance to people in need. How could I, a 70 yearold native Iowan, be put in jail for taking someone to a hospital appointment? The bill is too broadly written and is likely to be found unconstitutional by the courts. It will certainly lead to court cases that will cost the state of Iowa hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend. Please reject this bill.Sincerely,Eliza Willis

04-01-2025

Ryan Solomon

Please vote no on HF 572. Criminalizing migrants and anyone who drives with a migrant is insanity. This will be an almost impossible law to police and will end up punishing everyday Iowans and create an undue burden for all of us. This is an immensely cruel law that will create a range of legal problems that will end up costing the state. There are better ways to manage immigration, while still staying true to Iowa's core values of protecting the freedom of all.

04-01-2025

Jason Moritz

"Vote NO on HF 572."The bill could lead to people being arrested for simply driving someone who is undocumented to an appointment or for people who can't prove their documented status being charged with a crime. The bill would increase fear among immigrant families as well as increase antiimmigrant sentiment in the state.Similar bills in other states have led to a decrease in the ability of local law enforcement to have effective, trusting relationships with communities.

04-01-2025

Mary McGee Light

Please vote NO on HF572, which would penalize anyone assisting immigrants and refugees with transportation to go to doctors appointments, get groceries, check in with ICE, go to work, and any other reason. This is cruel and inhumane to anyone going about their daily business and needs to be eliminated. So please vote NO!

04-01-2025

Jo Butterfield

04-01-2025

Annie Tucker

Senators: I urge you to vote no to HF572.The ramifications of this bill make it a criminal offense to provide transportation to undocumented persons in Iowa even for the purpose of getting groceries, getting to medicatl care, etc. This is overreach to have these compassionate actions criminalized.If you are Christians, please remember that Matthew 22:37: Jesus answered, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and Love your neighbor as yourself. I learned this as a young child. Isolating a person, not allowing them transportation for food or medical care or other needs is NOT loving your neighbor as yourself. Do not kid yourself. Empathy IS loving your neighbor as yourself. Do not be mislead by others who have their OWN interest in mind.Please vote no. Or the effects will be on your conscience.Thank you.

04-01-2025

David Henkhaus

Please do not pass this bill. Determining intent and knowledge will prove difficult at best."Flee from a person the actor knows is a peace officer attempting to lawfully arrest or detain the actor."It seems the current modus operandi of ICE agents is to apprehend individuals without producing a warrant and done by individuals wearing plainclothes and driving unmarked vehicles.I don't see how anyone can be held to a standard of having "known" that such a person is a peace officer.

04-01-2025

georgianna klevar

i have a friend who drives an immigrant family from Decorah to Postville for Spanish mass. if this bill becomes a law, it sounds to me that a state trooper could stop her and charge her with smuggling.It's an unnecessary bill and I hope it will be opposed in committee

04-01-2025

Bill McCoy

I would like to say, for the record, that this bill, if enacted, will have no effect on my actions whatsoever. I will continue to help my brothers and sisters and their children as I see fit, as the gospel commands me to do. If this is against the law, the so be it.

04-01-2025

Jane Ruppenkamp

Please vote no for HF 572. Unless you are 100% Native American your ancestors came from another country. Please make Iowa a welcoming and desirable place for immigrants to be. I taught two students from the Ukraine last year, whose parents were skilled farm hands at an apple orchard that also grew other crops. These children were fast learners and were role models to other students. I teach children who are immigrants or their family members immigrated. They are from many countries. These families need more assistance when they first arrive but them grow to be more independent and are productive citizens. A friend of mine with a PhD in education who is originally from Cameroon has chosen to leave the state. She was granted a green card by the state of Iowa because, at that time, Iowa valued her expertise and wanted her to stay in the state. I hope that Iowa can once again be a state that values people from other lands and what they have to offer to our state. I have a friend originally from Ghana who has a PhD in computer science. He is charge of tech at Hawkeye sporting events. Iowa's immigrants serve very diverse roles in our communities and within our workplaces. I believe it is our duty to help them as much as we can for our forefathers were most likely immigrants themselves. I hope that you all will appreciate what immigrants bring to our state and support them.

04-01-2025

Christine M Catney

I write in OPPOSITION to HF 572. My rationale for objecting to this legislation is that it would criminalize ordinary acts of help such as providing a ride to a medical appointment or taking a child to school or providing water or any other act of kindness when the giver is unaware that the recipient is at risk of being smuggled or sexually abused. We live in a climate of increasing use of profiling by ICE and other law enforcement agencies. A person providing, for example, a ride to a medical appointment for a person who appears to the officer to be a noncitizen (having brown skin or speaking a language other than English), could be stopped and detained. Enacting this law would put all citizens at risk of unjust actions by law enforcement and would interfere with the legitimate efforts of nonprofits and religious organizations to serve their clients. Laws against smuggling and sex trafficking already exist and do not need to be complemented by HF 572.

04-01-2025

Mary Beth Versgrove

To Subcommittee Members GarrettCH, Knox, and Webster:I urge your rejection of HF 572 which criminalizes the support of immigrant residents of Iowa by those citizens who know and are attempting to enable them to eventually become naturalized.The hate and persecution to which immigrants in Iowa have been subjected is immoral and unjustified. These people flee their countries and come to the United States looking for safety and the opportunity to live and work with their families. They find community among others of faith with goals and dreams the same as theirs. They only want to work and be accepted as human beings and children of God.Now the state legislature wants to criminalize those Iowans who are simply living their lives by welcoming and supporting others who are in need. It is a blatant affront to me as a Christian AND an Iowan that any legislator would propose, much less support HF 572. We have laws already in place for criminal behavior; being an immigrant is not a crime. I ask that you search your hearts and souls regarding the intent of this bill and REJECT IT.God is watching US!

04-01-2025

April Gibson

I am writing to express my strong opposition to HSF572, a bill that threatens both religious liberty and the ability to serve vulnerable communities with compassion and humanity.This bill has the potential to criminalize acts of kindness and solidarity, such as transporting immigrant families for essential needs. As someone who believes deeply in treating all individuals with dignity, I find it unacceptable that providing basic assistancewhether its offering a ride to a medical appointment, helping a family get to an immigration hearing, or just offering transportation for basic necessitiescould be considered a criminal act.Immigrants, like all people, deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. Our faith traditions and the values of many communities have long held that helping others, particularly the most vulnerable, is a moral and ethical responsibility. HSF572 seeks to punish those who respond to that calling by criminalizing their acts of mercy. This is not only an infringement on our rights to religious freedom and compassionate action, but it also undermines the basic human dignity of immigrants who are already marginalized and in need of support.Rather than restricting these vital acts of kindness, we should be focusing on creating a system that upholds the rights and dignity of all people, regardless of their immigration status. I strongly urge you to oppose HSF572 and protect the ability of individuals and organizations to continue offering support to vulnerable communities.Thank you for your time and consideration.

04-01-2025

Rose K (Kate) Milligan

Vote NO on HF572. This bill is antihuman and antisociety. We know there are undocumented persons in Iowa. It is harmful to label as 'smuggling' any transport given to any person if the driver is not a 'smuggler' but acting in a humane way, as a neighbor, if we claim Iowa as "Fields of Opportunities."

04-01-2025

Carol Tyx

HF572 should not be passed. Showing kindness to one's neighbors by giving them a ride...to the grocery, to the pharmacy, to visit a friend...should never be considered a violation of the law. This bill discourages us from trusting our neighbors' good will. Please stop this bill.

04-01-2025

Joel Beachy

I am concerned that this bill could stop organizations and individuals from providing services to documented and undocumented immigrants, as well as refugees and asylum seekers who are in the process of obtaining legal status. Persons assisting with transportation to and from court proceedings, assisting with seeking housing, employment, and other human services should not be punished or threatened. Immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, whether documented or undocumented, should have the right to seek legal status through due process. We, as a state and as a nation, must serve these communities with dignity and respect. As a follower of Christ, my faith demands that I respond to the needs of the immigrant, seeking their wellbeing as if it were my own. I hope that our legislators will also consider the wellbeing of our immigrant brothers and sisters by not putting undue burden or harm on them as they seek to better their lives.

04-01-2025

Andy Douglas

Please vote no on this ridiculous bill. This bill will further balkanize our communities, disincentive the simple act of helping one's neighbors, and spread more fear and distrust. Don't we want safer, more united communities? Why are taking actions to criminalize acts of service and charity? It makes very little sense to me.

04-01-2025

Cathryn Baldner

To be considered a felon for helping those in need so gones against not only my Christian beliefs, but also gones against being an American citizen. My father did not not spend 4 years in the Pacific in WWII so his children could be jailed for doing the right thing.

04-01-2025

Sarah Ross

Please don't criminalize the activities of my fellow congregation members at my church. My church supports immigrant families and advocates for others in our community who need basic resources, such as help with food, transportation to work and support with child care. I know that they sometimes give people rides. Please use your common sense and stop this bill from moving forward or being passed.

04-01-2025

Luke Hertzler [Washington For Justice]

I believe that antiimmigrant bills have no place in lowa and that federal laws already cover trafficking and smuggling. This bill will make life harder for immigrants and immigrant allies in our state. VOTE NO!

04-01-2025

Steve Spring [St. Patrick's Church]

The proposed bill HF 572 has overreaching language that could criminalize acts of compassion, the corporal works of mercy, toward those in great need. These migrants crossed the border legally as refugees from oppression . Retroactively, their legal "parole" status has been revoked and their are treated as criminals. They entered the U.S. the right way and now face inhumane treatment. Our Catholic moral teachings, based in the Gospels, requires us to aid those in need. Our religious obligation may well contradict the Iowa law you are drafting. Kindly change the wording so necessary assistance can be provided, as our moral code requires, to these immigrant families. Thank you for not interfering in the practice of the corporal works of mercy.

04-01-2025

Patrick Bosold

As a member of the American Friends Service Committee and as a supporter of the Catholic Worker movement in Iowa, I urge you to not pass this bill out of your committee. I've been advised that HF 572 could be used to criminalize compassionate acts like transporting immigrant families for essential needs. Iowa doesn't need a law like this. We're better than this, and we can do better than this. Thank you in advance for voting NO on HF 572.

04-01-2025

Alicia Claypool [Former Chair, ICRC 2005-11]

This bill could lead to people being arrested for simply driving someone who is undocumented to an appointment or for people who cant prove their documented status being charged with a crime. I and numerous volunteers in my church have provided transportation over the years to assist new Iowans getting to ICE appointments at the federal building in DM or to a courtordered immigration hearing in Omaha. These folks were undocumented and needed a ride. Other volunteers have provided rides for critical medical appointments (OBGYN and dental) that were too far or not on the bus line without taking up hours to get to the appointment.This bill is punitive and does not reflect the realworld needs of undocumented Iowans who are human beings and deserve to be respected. They have medical and legal needs that require attention by law or for their health and in some cases, to protect their lives or the lives of their unborn children. We are all children of God and so are undocumented Iowans who deserve basic dignity and respect, regardless of their legal status.Please oppose HF 572.

04-01-2025

Sara Brenneman

Please vote no on HSF572. This bill threatens religious liberties of all. As a Christian I follow Jesus example of loving and caring for others regardless of race or religion. If this bill is passed I cannot legally follow and express my faith. Please. Vote no Thank you for readingSara Brenneman

04-01-2025

Anne Silander

Committee Chair and members, We are very distressed about the treatment of immigrants in Iowa, and around the country. As a part of a community group that visited young people in Iowa's county jails, we found that people who have grown up here / have lived here for many years, have been incarcerated and deported resulting from very minor interactions with law enforcement: or example, minor traffic or auto violations (broken tail light, etc) and other simple misdemeanors. Conditions in our county jails are abysmal. Recently, I learned one young man I visited, died in the country he was deported to for lack of medical care. He was a caring, positive young Christian man. These miscarries of justice impact families, friends and community members. Instances like these hurt our hearts. They are cruel, unnecessary and far from what Jesus would do. We already have state and federal laws governing human smuggling or trafficking, sadly there doesn't seem to be the commitment and resources allocated to protect vulnerable people being trafficked whether regardless of immigration status. It is heartbreaking.Taxi, Uber and bus drivers ought not be penalized because they aren't aware of someone's immigration status. Neither should friends, family or volunteers be penalized for taking individuals to healthcare appointments, hearings, to school, grocery shopping, or to church, etc. Fear generated by bills like this, make our communities less safe not more, by causing those who need sometimes critical assistance from law enforcement, from healthcare providers or clergy NOT to seek help. Fear generated by bills like this curtails steady employment and needed workforce participation, education, safety of vulnerable individuals, and vitality of our communities. Bills like this hurt all of us. Please vote no on HF572! Thank you.Sincerely, Anne Silander

04-01-2025

Allison Miller

The definition of illegal is in too much of a gray area. Just because Trump says someone is illegal does not make them illegal by law. Just because Trump says CNN and MSNBC are illegal doesnt mean I cannot watch. People with work visas and green cards, refugee or asylum status are not illegal, per the law.

04-01-2025

Aileen Chang-Matus

I write to urge you, in your service on the Senate Judiciary Committee, to oppose HF 572. I listened carefully to the comments and discussion with Senate Judiciary Committee via Zoom the afternoon of April 1, 2025. I read the current version of the bill.I am very gravely concerned that the legislation places a burden of proof on the person who provides transportation, that it was for a charitable purpose instead of for exploitive gain. In effect, it creates a situation in which those supporting immigrants are presumed guilty until proven innocent, and that based on abstract matters like intent, rather than things that are concretely measurable. I listened carefully as supporters claimed the bill is not about immigration but rather about human trafficking and labor exploitation. That does not pass the smell test. Here's why:If you want to enact legislation that criminalizes exploitation, you need to focus on the exploitation itself, especially the concrete actions by which it is done: Taking people's documents away, failure to maintain safe equitable work environments, failure to provide legally mandated basic workplace safety, failure to fulfill workplace requirements on work hours, overtime, etc. Migrants to the US those with documentation and legal status and those without it are vulnerable, and they are especially vulnerable when laws are passed that are confusing, that place the burden of proof where it does not belong, that make charitable assistance seem illegal. In fact, such laws blur the line between folks who are legally present and not legally present so they all lose the protection of the law. At the national level, much has been done to, in effect, without any new written laws or rulings, criminalize even those who are legally present. I refer to detainings and deportations of lawful permanent residents and visa holders, and also deportations forced through against court rulings. This didn't happen because of HF 572, but it is still part of the national situation in which HF 572 is proposed. It is not realistic to suggest that that in this current national context, updated wording of HF572 guarantees the safety and legal innocence of charitable workers providing ordinary transportation assistance to immigrants whose legal status is not absolutely proven. I urge you to vote no on HF 572 and vigorously oppose it.Wishing you all good things,Aileen ChangMatus1242 30th Street NECedar Rapids, IA 52402

04-01-2025

Edie Hochstetler

Please do not pass HSF 572 a bill that threatens religious liberty and the ability to serve vulnerable communities. If passed, it could criminalize compassionate acts like transporting immigrant families for essential needs. I do not support such cruel action.Edie Hochstetler

04-01-2025

Ruth Johnston

I strongly disagree with the bill HF 572. Please do not pass this bill. I strive to be a moral and ethical person and have never been charged with a crime in my life. However this could force me (and others) into the position of either following the law and being unethical (not helping a person in need) or following my own conscience, caring for a neighbor and being flagged as a criminal. Ridiculous. It is a sad day, to say the least, when the laws no longer have integrity or ethical basis. While immigration in this country may need to be overhauled in various ways, criminalizing people who have come to make a better and safer life for themselves (and who are, after all only following the footsteps of the ancestors of most of us) or those who help them stabilize while here, is not an answer but a kneejerk reaction out of unfounded fears. Let us be wise, patient, thoughtful, and caring for our neighbors, no matter their circumstances. And work at putting safe and effective policies and structures into place which do not target those already on our soil, seeking a better life.

04-01-2025

Michelle LeCaptain

I am writing to voice my concern over this evil and hateful bill. I do not understand how this "protects" Iowans. It punishes people who escape violence in their home countries and criminalizes those who act in their defense. Vote no.

04-01-2025

Dan McAuliffe

This is further legislation distracting from the 'real issues" I thought we're going to fix. Mainly, the economy, inflation, and preserving democracy in the world. As is said in Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me." However, the party of personal freedom and limited government seems to make a lot of laws to control our lives.

04-02-2025

Evalee Mickey [Pax Christi USA]

HF572I plead with you that you do not pass HF572. It is a terrible bill and shows everyone how cruel and nasty our state has become even though we have welcomed many immigrants to our state and see how they have thrived and helped our state to grow, especially since the state government has been so hostile to education and the environment and have encouaged people to stay away from Iowa especially teachers and doctors

04-03-2025

Shona Roeder

This is stupid. It would criminalize giving undocumented immigrants a lift to the courthouse for their hearings. You want them to come to their hearings, right? How about a ride to mandatory education, like high school for teens?