Iowa joins ‘Border Strike Force,’ to share intelligence with other GOP-led states

Iowa is one of 26 states to join “The American Governors’ Border Strike Force,” an agreement among Republican-led states to share information about criminal investigations related to immigration at the southern border.

“President Biden’s disastrous border policies and lack of leadership are destroying our country,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a Thursday news release. “Fentanyl and other major drugs are becoming increasingly prevalent in our communities, so we must step up and protect our states, our families, our children, and our country that we’ve worked so hard to keep safe.”

According to Reynolds’ news release, the strike force will require no additional funding or law enforcement personnel. Instead, Iowa authorities will share “classified intelligence information” with law enforcement agencies in other states.

Reynolds sent 29 state troopers to Texas in the summer of 2021 to assist with traffic stops and border patrols.

Governors from the following states have signed onto the strike force: Arizona, Texas, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.