DES MOINES, Iowa — A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked an Iowa law that would have allowed state law enforcement to bring criminal charges against people who have pending deportation orders or were previously denied entry into the United States.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher issued the preliminary injunction, saying the U.S. Justice Department and civil rights groups suing the state were likely to succeed in their argument that federal immigration law preempts the law approved by Iowa lawmakers this spring. .
“On a political level, the new law may be defensive,” Locher wrote in his decision. “Under the Constitution, that is not the case.”
The Iowa law, scheduled to take effect July 1, allows law enforcement to prosecute people with outstanding deportation orders or who were previously removed from the United States or denied entry. Detained immigrants may agree to one of the following: Under a judge’s order, you may have to leave the United States or face incarceration before being prosecuted and deported.
