A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked Iowa from enforcing its own immigration law, which makes it a state crime to enter Iowa after being deported or denied entry into the United States.
The ruling comes amid a national push by statehouse conservatives to assert authority over illegal immigration, which the Justice Department argues is solely the federal government’s responsibility.
“As a matter of politics, the new legislation might be defensible,” Judge Stephen Locher wrote.
“As a matter of constitutional law, it is not.”Iowa is among a few Republican-led states that have enacted a form of state-level immigration enforcement this year, infuriating Biden administration officials who have described the laws as unconstitutional overreach.
Iowa officials vowed to appeal the judge’s order granting the preliminary injunction.
Persons:
Stephen Locher, Biden
Organizations:
statehouse, Justice Department, Republican
Locations:
Iowa, United States, ” Iowa