On Monday, an Iowa federal court blocked the state from enforcing its own immigration rules.
The Iowa proposal would have given the state the authority to prosecute illegal aliens in federal district courts who are facing deportation orders or who have previously been refused entrance.
Judge Stephen Locher’s block on enforcement is only temporary as the Iowa legislation is further litigated. Despite this, Locher stated he is certain the measure will fail because federal immigration law takes precedence over state laws.
Politically speaking, the new law might be justified. It is not a matter of constitutional law, according to Locher’s decision. “Under binding Supreme Court precedent, Senate File 2340 is preempted in its entirety by federal law and thus is invalid under the Supremacy Clause.”
Earlier this year, Republican governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds signed the “illegal re-entry” measure into law. It was modeled after Texas legislation. The way in which President Biden has handled border policies has drawn harsh criticism from officials in both states.
The state intends to appeal the decision, according to Reynolds and Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird.
Following the decision, Bird released a statement saying, “If it weren’t for Biden’s open borders, Iowa never would have had to pass this law to begin with.” “Rather than suing Iowa for enforcing immigration laws, he should do his duty to secure the border.”
As for the Biden administration, Reynolds countered that it has rendered states “defenseless” against the “ongoing crisis at our southern border.”
“Plainly, the Biden administration is failing to do their job and enforce federal immigration laws allowing millions to enter and re-enter without any consequence or delay,” she stated.
The law in Iowa was set to go into effect on July 1. In the upcoming weeks, the Justice Department has said that it will pursue a like piece of legislation in Oklahoma.
