Governor Kim Reynolds and other Iowa Republican leaders were in Council Bluffs on Monday to open a new campaign office for the November election. Reynolds is seeking another term as governor of Iowa and made the trip from Des Moines to Council Bluffs to unveil the Pottawattamie County Republicans' new campaign office.
The visit comes two days after the father of Mollie Tibbetts condemned political statements pushing immigration reform regarding his daughter's death. Just days before the visit, President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump, Jr., commented about the nation's borders in an opinion piece for the Des Moines Register.
Trump Jr. said democrats are, "More concerned with protecting their radical open-borders agenda than the lives of innocent Americans," and cited Mollie Tibbetts.
Reynolds says she agrees in part with Trump Jr. "We have an immigration system that's broken, and it's been broken for 30 years."
On Saturday, Tibbetts' father, Rob Tibbetts, responded to the political comments, writing, "Do not appropriate Mollie's soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist."
In a statement the day Tibbetts' body was recovered, Reynolds again referenced a broken immigration system. "This is about policy. It's not about politics."
Iowa's 15th District Representative, Charlie McConkey isn't convinced, saying it is all about politics. "They're taking advantage of a family for political gains. A tragedy for political gains."
Reynolds says she will continue to hold the federal government accountable to reform the nation's current immigration policy. "Politics is elevating the situation. Policy is bringing two parties together, sitting down at a table and finding solutions."
(Photo courtesy of 6 News)