Iowa

Iowa driver’s licenses, ID cards would have to display citizenship status under House bill

Published

11 months ago

January 30, 2025

Iowa driver’s licenses, ID cards would have to display citizenship status under House bill

Iowa driver’s licenses and nonoperator ID cards would be required to state whether the holder is a U.S. citizen under a bill being considered in the Iowa House.

A three-member subcommittee voted 2-1 Wednesday to advance House Study Bill 37, sending it to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.

Under the bill, the information displayed on a driver’s license or nonoperator ID would have to specify someone’s “status as a citizen of the United States or status as a noncitizen authorized to be in the United States.”

The person’s citizenship status would be displayed on the back of the driver’s license or ID card.

Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, said the bill was drafted with the intention of making sure only citizens can vote in elections in Iowa.

“We have every right as a state to ensure that only citizens are voting in our elections and we think that at this time this might be the right path,” he said. “We’ll have discussions and see if there’s a different path.”

Rep. Lindsay James, D-Dubuque, said driver’s licenses are used for more than voting and she’s concerned that putting a specific marker on the license could create an opening for discrimination.

“We’ve already heard that folks are using their driver’s license when they are renting cars, when they are purchasing things in a store, and the potential for discrimination when you have a unique identifier is significant,” she said.

It is a felony for a noncitizen to vote in Iowa under state and federal law. Iowa voters in November also amended the state’s constitution to include language saying that “only a citizen of the United States” can vote.

Weeks before the 2024 election, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said he was instructing county auditors to challenge the ballots of 2,176 Iowans who he identified as potential noncitizens based on self-reported Department of Transportation data when Iowans applied for a license or other ID.

A statewide review from the Des Moines Register found that nearly 600 people on Pate’s list tried to vote in the election.

Of those, 506 proved they were citizens and successfully cast a ballot, while 74 had their absentee ballots rejected primarily because they did not provide proof of citizenship.

What did the public say about the bill requiring citizenship information on driver’s licenses?

Some speakers at Wednesday’s subcommittee meeting said they believe the bill would help make Iowa’s elections secure, while others said it singles out immigrants for discrimination.

Lori Stiles, a poll worker from Johnston and volunteer with the election transparency group Iowa Canvassing Volunteers, said the legislation “would help with securing our elections.”

“This designation or some such on a driver’s license would definitely help to identify people who are U.S. citizens,” she said. “Because only U.S. citizens should be voting in U.S. elections.”

Storm O’Brink, a North Liberty resident who works in social services, said the bill singles out immigrant families who are already afraid, “regardless of what their legal status is.”

“I am hopeful that you will hear me today about this,” O’Brink said. “There are people terrified and you can’t just do another thing to single them out in our state.”

Monty Montero-Elliott of Iowa City, whose father was a longtime green card holder from Spain, said the bill “puts a lot of people, frankly, in danger of scrutiny.”

“I think that this is a pointless thing to put on an ID card,” Montero-Elliott said. “I don’t see what it has to do with things that you use your ID for like getting a hotel reservation or renting a car or being able to buy alcohol or anything that you have to show an age ID for.”

Connie Ryan, executive director of Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, said the bill doesn’t fix the problem that the information about someone’s citizenship status could be out of date.

“I worry about people who aren’t yet citizens but are going through the process and they have to put that on their driver’s license and then we’re using those lists for voting,” she said. “And so there’s nothing that indicates when those lists are updated and whether or not they’re accurate.”

The bill does not require Iowans to update their driver’s license or ID if their citizenship status changes.

“That’s certainly something were going to have to walk through and talk through,” Wheeler said. “I would assume, if you’re naturalized obviously you’re going to make sure you have that updated.”

Republicans indicate driver’s license bill could see changes

Rep. Craig Williams, R-Manning, who sat on the subcommittee, said he doesn’t see the bill as discriminatory.

“I think this has some work to be done,” he said. “I’m not opposed to it and I would vote to push it forward.”

Wheeler said he’s open to hearing feedback if people have suggestions to improve the bill. He said House Republicans will continue having conversations about which direction they want the legislation to go.

“This is kind of in the, obviously, the very early stages, and people will come with different ideas,” he said. “Maybe they don’t think it’s the best idea, and they’ll look a different way. Maybe they think it’s a great idea. We have yet to have that conversation on a grand scale.”

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.

Source link

Click to comment

Iowa

Jaxx DeJean, brother of Hawkeye icon Cooper, commits to Iowa football

Published

3 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Jaxx DeJean, brother of Hawkeye icon Cooper, commits to Iowa football

Class of 2027 prospect Jaxx DeJean, the younger brother of former Iowa football star Cooper DeJean, has committed to the Hawkeyes.

Jaxx DeJean made the announcement via social media on Dec. 21.

DeJean, listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, committed to Iowa as a tight end.

DeJean is a 3-star prospect and the fifth-ranked player in the state of Iowa’s 2027 high school class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

As a junior at OABCIG, DeJean showed versatility offensively. He led the team with 36 receptions for 461 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing for 207 yards and three touchdowns. DeJean also passed for 149 yards and two touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, DeJean recorded 18.5 total tackles and three interceptions.

DeJean was named honorable mention All-Iowa by the Des Moines Register.

The Odebolt product earned offers from UNLV, Kansas State, Michigan, UAB and Iowa.

DeJean has become a well-known last name in the Hawkeye and NFL communities.

Cooper DeJean became an Iowa legend in three seasons with the Hawkeyes, starring as a defensive back and punt returner. As a junior, DeJean was Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and Rodgers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year.

DeJean’s story rose to new heights once he got to the NFL. He somewhat surprisingly slipped to the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but was scooped up by the Philadelphia Eagles, which ultimately proved beneficial for both sides. As a rookie, DeJean picked off a pass from megastar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and returned it for a touchdown in Super Bowl LIX to help the Eagles take down the Chiefs.

Before the 2024 NFL Draft, DeJean commented on the recruitment of brother Jaxx.

“I want him to make his own decision,” Cooper said of Jaxx in March of 2024. “If he could be here, that’d be awesome. We’ve all grown up Iowa fans, but I’ll definitely be giving my pitch, for sure.”

Jaxx DeJean is the third prospect to commit to Iowa’s 2027 recruiting class this month.

4-star Bettendorf linebacker Gavin Stecker announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes on Dec. 9. Less than one week later, Pleasantville High School Braylon Bingham also committed to Iowa as a linebacker. And now, DeJean becomes Iowa’s first offensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.

All three members of Iowa’s 2027 recruiting class are in-state products.

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

Source link

Iowa

Two Iowa tickets miss $1.2B Powerball jackpot by just one number

Published

15 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Two Iowa tickets miss .2B Powerball jackpot by just one number

Nobody hit the estimated $1.2 billion Powerball jackpot in the Dec. 20 drawing — but the prize isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s climbing to an eye-popping $1.6 billion for Monday’s drawing, making it the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history and fifth-largest among U.S. lottery jackpots. The cash option? $735.3 million.

Two Iowa players came close to the big win. One ticket, sold at Kwik Star in Vinton, matched all five white balls and missed only the Powerball — good for a $1 million prize. It was one of eight tickets nationwide to hit that mark.

“A jackpot of this size naturally captures attention nationwide, but a $1 million win right here in Iowa shows there are plenty of chances to win along the way,” Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn said in a news release.

Another ticket, sold at Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh in Johnston, matched four white balls plus the Powerball and added Power Play, turning a $50,000 prize into $150,000.

In all, Iowa players won 41,288 prizes Saturday, from $4 to $1 million.

Want in on Monday’s drawing? The ticket deadline is 8:59 p.m. Odds of hitting the jackpot remain 1 in 292.2 million — but someone will eventually get lucky.

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor at the Des Moines Register.

Source link

Iowa

Two Iowa National Guardsmen injured in Syria attack return to the US

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Two Iowa National Guardsmen injured in Syria attack return to the US

Two soldiers injured in an attack by ISIS gunmen in Palmyra, Syria, returned to the United States, according to the Iowa National Guard.

The National Guardsmen were part of a unit based in Syria that was attacked on Dec. 13. Two Iowa soldiers — Sgt. William Nathaniel “Nate” Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, and Sgt. Edgar Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines — along with civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Michigan, were killed last weekend in an attack in Syria. Five Iowa National Guard soldiers in all were attacked.

The two wounded soldiers arrived on Dec. 20 and are currently in stable condition, a spokesperson for the Iowa National Guard said in a news release. “Their families are with them while they begin the next phase of their recovery,” she said.

The National Guard declined to reveal the identities of the two soldiers, who are receiving medical treatment at a dedicated military facility.

A third Iowa National Guardsman injured in the attack returned to duty after receiving treatment in Syria.

“Caring for our impacted families and the safe return of our service members is our highest priority,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, the adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, in a news release. “We are incredibly proud of their courage and sacrifice, and our focus is now on providing them and their families with the comprehensive support they need during this time. We ask that all Iowans keep them in their thoughts and prayers as they recover.”

What happened in Syria?

The Associated Press reported the gunman stormed a meeting between U.S. and Syrian security officials and opened fire after clashing with Syrian guards. Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba told the Associated Press it was “a major security breach.”

President Donald Trump helped escort the bodies of Howard and Torres-Tova in a dignified transfer on Dec. 17 at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The soldiers eventually will return home to Iowa, where information on arrival and funeral services had not yet been released by Saturday evening.

All three were killed Saturday, Dec. 13, by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, before being shot dead. The Syrian Interior Ministry has described the attacker as a member of the Syrian security forces suspected of sympathizing with Islamic State.

Three other Iowa National Guard soldiers, whose names were not released, were injured. All were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, which is part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division. The brigade began deploying to the Middle East in late May 2025 for Operation Inherent Resolve to advise and assist forces tasked with “defeat(ing) ISIS.”

A dignified transfer is held to receive remains of fallen soldiers killed overseas “to honor those who have given their lives in the service of our country,” according to Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations.

On Wednesday, the caskets, draped with American flags, were transferred from the plane to an awaiting vehicle and taken to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations building at the Dover base “for positive identification by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System and preparation for their final resting place.”

On Dec. 16, Syria arrested five people suspected of having links to the shooting of five Iowa National Guard members and Syrian troops in Palmyra. Syria’s Interior Ministry said its units in Palmyra carried out an operation in coordination with “international coalition forces” that resulted in the arrest of five suspects, “who were immediately referred for questioning.”

On Dec. 19, the U.S. military launched airstrikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for a deadly attack on two Iowa National Guard soldiers.

President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strikes targeted “ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites” and said the operation was “OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE.”

“This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth said. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue,” he added.

Kim Norvell and Reuters contributed to this article.

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor at the Des Moines Register.

Source link