Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has announced a lawsuit against Winneshiek County after the sheriff vowed to “interfere and interrupt” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on illegal aliens.
The lawsuit was launched against Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx after he vowed that his department would make “every effort” to “interfere” with and “interrupt” ICE raids in his county.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is SUING to DEFUND the entire Winneshiek County after the Sheriff said he won’t cooperate with ICE and will “make every effort to block, interfere and interrupt [ICE]” https://t.co/f4FV6BarFi pic.twitter.com/uX4NhYfn3o
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 1, 2025
The remarks were made in a Facebook post from Marx’s office, where the sheriff wrote that he and his staff are “always willing to assist with verifying credentials and the legitimacy of any paperwork federal agents should have to make certain your rights are not being abused.”
“If their actions or paperwork are not within constitutional parameters, then we will make every effort to block, interfere and interrupt their actions from moving forward,” the post continued.
Marx was specifically referring to ICE’s immigration detainers, which are documents requesting that state and local law enforcement agencies maintain custody of criminal illegal aliens until federal law enforcement can step in to take custody of the suspects.
🚨WATCH: Iowa sheriff Dan Marx says he will not comply with ICE deportation enforcement
“… we will make every effort to block, interfere, and interrupt their actions from moving forward." pic.twitter.com/P6ZQ8xZyI6
— Cash Casey (@cassiuscasey) February 5, 2025
The Iowa attorney general’s office has filed a lawsuit against Marx for his comments, pointing out that the red state is not a “sanctuary state” and anyone trying to interfere with the legitimate functions of federal immigration enforcement will face consequences.
“Iowa is not a sanctuary for illegal immigration. Anyone who threatens to ‘block, interfere and interrupt’ with immigration enforcement, as this sheriff did, will be held accountable,” AG Bird said.
The attorney general went on to note that Marx’s post was a violation of Iowa law, which declares that any county in violation of section 27A.4 of the state’s legal code “shall be ineligible to receive any state funds if the local entity intentionally violates this chapter.”
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) even contacted Marx to request that he alter his statements, but he refused despite knowing that Winneshiek County could lose state funding if he did not change his mind. Apparently, protecting criminal illegal aliens is more important to the sheriff than ensuring that his constituents are taken care of.
Bird also stated that Sheriff Marx’s actions clearly “impeded and discouraged cooperation with federal immigration authorities” in violation of the law.
“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,” Bird argued in a press release. “He left us with no choice but to take the case to court to enforce our laws and ensure cooperation with federal immigration authorities.”
