By the time Pascual Pedro Pedro’s grandfather began speaking about how his grandson had been unexpectedly seized by ICE last week and deported to Guatemala without a hearing, there were almost 200 people gathered on the sidewalk in front of 201 W 2nd St in downtown Davenport. More than a dozen were across the street. […]
ICE
‘Bring him back now’: Iowans plan rallies to demand return of young West Liberty resident seized by ICE, deported with no hearing
ICE deported Pascual Pedro Pedro, a 20-year-old resident of West Liberty, on Monday. Pedro came to the United States from Guatemala with his father when he was 13 years old. He lived with his grandparents, who have been in the U.S. for over 30 years, and attended West Liberty High School, where he was a […]
AG Bird continues case against sheriff over Facebook post on ICE, tells court Winneshiek County must lose its state funding
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is continuing to pursue a lawsuit against Winneshiek County and its sheriff, Dan Marx, for allegedly violating Iowa law by discouraging law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials. In her latest court filings, Bird has criticized Marx, alleging the sheriff has, in essence, asserted that “federal immigration officials should […]
Judge cites lack of confidence in Homeland Security, issues injunction protecting four UI students in lawsuit
Stating that she has “little confidence” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will comply with its own regulations, a federal judge on Thursday issued a preliminary injunction protecting four University of Iowa students and graduates from deportation. The three international students and one international-student graduate are suing Homeland Security for revoking their status as students […]
‘Nothing more than thought policing’: Winneshiek sheriff asks court to dismiss AG Bird’s lawsuit over his Facebook post
In a motion filed in Polk County District Court on Wednesday, attorneys for Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx called the effort to cut off all state funds to Winneshiek County by Gov. Kim Reynolds and Attorney General Brenna Bird in response to a Facebook post by Marx “nothing more than thought policing.” Marx asked the […]
‘We are not illegal humans’: Hundreds march in Iowa City in support of immigrants
Hundreds gathered in College Green Park in Iowa City on Thursday evening for the Aquí Estamos March for Immigrant Dignity and Justice. The march, which ended with a rally on the Ped Mall, was a chance for community members to show their support of immigrants and their opposition to Trump administration policies and ICE actions, […]
Judge blocks arrest, deportation of UI students; feds want students publicly identified
After being temporarily barred from deporting four international students at the University of Iowa who are suing the Department of Homeland Security for revoking their status as students, the agency is now contesting the students’ wish to remain anonymous. The students’ lawsuit, filed last month in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, identifies […]
Federal judge issues temporary restraining order protecting UI students whose visas were revoked by Trump administration
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday, stopping the potential deportation of four University of Iowa international students. DHS had canceled their visas without informing either the students or the university in advance, as part of the Trump administration’s sweeping and seemingly arbitrary cancellation of the visas of more than 1,800 students […]
UI international students sue Department of Homeland Security after student visas are revoked
Four University of Iowa students and graduates from China and India, one of whom works for the state as an epidemiologist, are suing the federal government for revoking their status as students. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, was filed by a UI College of Law professor on […]
Hundreds gather in Iowa City as part of a nationwide ‘Day of Action’ against the Trump administration
For the second time this month, Iowa Avenue between Clinton and Dubuque streets was blocked off as people rallied in downtown Iowa City on Saturday to protest the actions of the Trump administration. “We’re not protesters at all,” Sue Thompson of Indivisible Johnson County said at the beginning of the rally. “We are the protectors.” […]
Five UI international students have had their visas revoked; ISU and UNI students’ visas ‘flagged’ by the Trump administration
A total of five international students at the University of Iowa have now had their student visas revoked, according to a news release sent out early Tuesday morning by COGS, the union for graduate student workers at UI. COGS said the number of visa revocations was provided during a webinar on Monday hosted by UI […]
UI grad student becomes one of the more than 700 international students whose visas have been revoked by the Trump administration
The State Department has revoked the visa of a graduate student at the University of Iowa, according to an email sent to the university’s international students and scholars on Thursday. The Trump administration’s ongoing and unprecedented mass revocation of student visas has resulted in more than 700 students around the country being stripped of their […]

