1 week Ago By DAVID HOTLE [email protected]
During a visit to Muscatine to tour the Musco plant, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird wouldn't comment on a possible run for Iowa governor, celebrated the state’s new cold case unit and discussed immigration enforcement. On Friday, Bird was given a tour of the Muscatine plant that innovates sports lighting throughout the world. She said that she had wanted to visit the company for quite a while because it is a famous company that people from out of state have asked her about.
As attorney general, Bird said that one of her priorities is not to get “stuck in Des Moines.” On Friday she spent the day visiting several places in eastern Iowa. Bird had started the day in Dubuque, traveled to Maquoketa, moved to De Witt, had a roundtable in Davenport and ended the day in Muscatine.
“Working with law enforcement and hearing about some of the impacts on the border situation,” she said, about what she had heard throughout the day. “We are certainly worried about human trafficking and drug cartels and those types of crimes and seeing that come more under control is good for Iowa.” During that time, Bird also said she never loses sight of the victims of the crimes and works with victim support units throughout the state.
Bird discussed recent situations where students had lost their student visas due to run-ins with law enforcement. “The administration has to look at that and figure out what is in the best interests of America,” she said. “There have been situations at some schools where we had people who were here on student visas advocating for terrorism, and that is certainly a situation where it is appropriate to withdraw a student visa.
There can be other situations as well. I was glad to see them taking strong actions that way because we need to make sure there is no place for terrorism or antisemitism in this country and people can be safe.” She also had nothing further to add about a possible run for the governor’s seat.
Previously Bird had said she was still considering the possibility. She said no decision has been made. Bird also spoke about her cold case initiative she started last summer to help solve 400-plus unsolved murder cases in Iowa.
Lawmakers allocated $530,000 to fund the initiative in the 2024 legislative session. Coming out of the tour, she said Musco was “impressive.” “I had a petty good expectation in my mind that I would be impressed, and it is amazing,” she said.
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