Hunter
05/15/25
Immigrant workers and their supporters descended on the Iowa State Patrol office in Cedar Rapids Wednesday to urge troopers to end the state’s agreement to assist US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The group, which included members of Escucha Mi Voz Iowa and the Iowa City Catholic Worker House, delivered a petition signed by 800 Iowans, asking the State Patrol to end their agreement, which they say empowers troopers and leads to racial profiling and family separations.
The Press-Citizen reports that the protesters were told that the state patrol’s District 11 leadership was participating in a training and was not in the office.
One trooper came out to listen for about ten minutes before being handed the petition.
The group that came by bus from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids were supposed to accompany a Postville woman to her 5th ICE check-in so far this year. That check-in was postponed to December. The woman, Reina Marroquin, was also paid a surprise visit at her residence by immigration officials earlier this year.