Hunter
06/18/24
A Federal judge has temporarily blocked a new state law that would have allowed deportation of illegal immigrants who had previously been denied entry.
Judge Stephen Miller said in his ruling that Federal law preempts the state legislation. It was supposed to go into effect on July 1st, and would allow Iowa law enforcement officials to arrest and charge a non-citizen if they were caught in the state after previously being blocked or deported. A judge could then order prison time or deportation. Both legal and law enforcement leaders criticized the lack of guidance from the state on how to proceed once the law took effect.
Gov. Kim Reynolds released a statement in response, saying that she and state Attorney General Brenna Bird planned to appeal the decision. The governor said, “With this injunction states are left defenseless to the ongoing crisis at our southern border…I signed this bill into law to protect Iowans and our communities from the results of this border crisis: rising crime, overdose deaths, and human trafficking.”
Activists vowed to continue fighting the law during the appeals process.