An Iowa statute that makes it a state crime for someone to be in Iowa if they are in the U.S. illegally was temporarily blocked on Friday by a federal appeals court, siding with the Biden administration’s Department of Justice.
Now that President Trump is in office, a second order from the 8th Circuit U.S. Judicial of Appeals casts doubt on future judicial actions.
This statute, which resembles those in Texas and Oklahoma that are likewise pending judicial review for potential unconstitutional usurpation of federal immigration authority, was the subject of a lawsuit filed by the department and an immigrant rights group in May in Iowa. After a district court judge gave the Biden administration and an immigrant rights group a temporary hold on the statute, Iowa took legal action by appealing.
Under this law, state and local officials could arrest and charge people with outstanding deportation orders or who have been expelled from or denied admission to the U.S. in the past.
U.S. foreign policy would be complicated, and federal officials’ power over immigration policy would be undermined, according to the federal appeals court, which stated that the state statute would go against Iowa’s belief.
According to a second judgment made Friday by the federal appeals court, the legal struggle in Iowa might become more complicated if the Trump administration withdraws the Department of Justice’s complaint.
Due to the mootness of the U.S. v. Iowa case, the federal appeals court ruled that the district court judge should dismiss the complaint that the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice had brought on behalf of its organization and two individuals.
Veronica Fowler, communications director for the ACLU of Iowa, one of the legal teams representing the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, stated, “Right now, we’re just figuring out what our legal next steps are.” She went on to say, “Obviously, we are committed to doing everything we can to strike down this really terrible law.”
The case will continue at the lower court, but the DOJ did not immediately react to a request for comment regarding its future.
Republicans in Congress and state legislatures nationwide held President Joe Biden responsible for the administration’s alleged inaction on immigration enforcement and border management throughout his presidency. Many are now rallying behind Trump’s campaign promise to deport illegal immigrants and severely restrict immigration to the United States.
“We “stand ready to deploy every instrument at our disposal—whether through state law enforcement or the National Guard—to back President Trump in this essential mission,” stated a joint statement from 26 Republican governors, including Kim Reynolds of Iowa, in December.
In a statement released on Friday, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird emphasized that the “battle is far from over.”
Bird said, “We will continue fighting in Iowa to defend our laws and keep families safe.” At the same time, President Trump works on a national level to address the southern border crisis that Biden and Vice President Harris caused.