Iowa can't enforce its own immigration law, U.S. appeals court says. But with Justice Department in new hands, future of statute unclear

A lower court had blocked the Republican-backed law that made it a state crime to enter Iowa after being deported or denied entry to the United States.

A U.S. appeals court refused on Friday to allow Iowa to implement a law allowing for the arrest and prosecution of people who are in the United States illegally.

A state law that would allow the arrest and deportation of immigrants in Iowa if they had previously been denied entry into the country will remain blocked after a federal appeals court ruling issued Friday.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has directed prosecutors to investigate officials who resist immigration enforcement efforts, intensifying a swe