A federal judge halted late Monday a recently-passed Iowa law, which allows local authorities to arrest and file charges against immigrants in the state who have outstanding deportation orders or who had been denied entry to the U.S. in the past.
Concretely, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Locher issued the preliminary injunction, saying that both the U.S. Department of Justice and advocate groups who legally challenged the law are likely to succeed in their claims. They argue that immigration enforcement can only be done by the federal government, and that such laws preempt the one passed by state lawmakers in the spring.
