
Connie Ryan, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, said religious freedom is already protected under the Iowa and U.S. constitutions.
“Religious exemptions tip the balance heavily in favor of someone's personal religious beliefs allowing them to discriminate against another person,” Ryan said in a statement. “The religious exemptions law weaponizes religious freedom, misusing it to take away the civil rights of another person.”

A Texas Episcopal priest’s detention by ICE is a concerning development in the midst of the Trump administration's attack on religious freedom. It shows how unchecked enforcement threatens our faith communities and furthers an already eroding public trust.

The memorandum NSPM-7 enables the administration to investigate and prosecute individuals and entities it deems to be a threat to national security. In reality, NSPM-7 is a method to suppress free speech; it is not designed to actually address national security concerns.