(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s governor is asking for a congressional investigation after unaccompanied migrant children were flown into Iowa without her office being notified. Governor Kim Reynolds and Tennessee’s governor are asking the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a public hearing about the movement of migrant children into states.

Reynolds says a plane carrying unaccompanied minor children landed overnight at the Des Moines Airport in late April, but her office was not notified and it was 20 days before federal officials confirmed 19 children from Long Beach, California were flown to Des Moines and then transported on buses to unite with relatives or local sponsors.

A similar scenario unfolded in Knoxville, Tennessee last month. Reynolds and Tennessee’s governor say their experience sows seeds of mistrust and intentionally subverts the will of people for a secure border.  Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn says Governor Reynolds is using a fake crisis to divide and distract Iowans from her own record. Third District Democrat Representative Cindy Axne echoed the Governor’s statement, Thursday.

Axne issued the following statement:

“The lack of transparency and accountability from our federal immigration officials regarding the April 22 flight from Long Beach to Des Moines is totally unacceptable. As a mom, I was disturbed to see reports of a flight transporting unaccompanied children, and more than a month ago I sought clarification from HHS and ICE – but received no confirmation of the flight like the one provided to Senator Grassley a few weeks ago. 

As this new administration tries to rebuild trust and fix our broken immigration system, denying the existence of a taxpayer-funded flight carrying migrant children into our community will only undermine the integrity of that mission, and will unfortunately provide fodder to those who would use this episode only to feed the disinformation and conspiracies related to our current immigration policies. 

I join Governor Reynolds in demanding further investigation and disclosure from HHS to determine why this flight was kept secret and why its existence was denied to both the public and to the public officials seeking to learn the whole truth.”