Iowa

Iowa ‘illegal reentry’ law remains blocked, but 8th Circuit questions injunction’s breadth

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1 month ago

October 23, 2025

Iowa ‘illegal reentry’ law remains blocked, but 8th Circuit questions injunction’s breadth

A federal judge did not err when finding an Iowa immigration enforcement law likely unconstitutional, a federal appellate court ruled.

But it is sending the case back to determine whether the state should nonetheless be allowed to enforce the law in some cases.

The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ Oct. 23 decision upholds an injunction blocking Iowa from enforcing Senate File 2340, which Gov. Kim Reynolds signed in April 2024 to make “illegal reentry” a crime under state law.

In a lawsuit bought by the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, Judge Stephen Locher ruled last year that immigration enforcement is explicitly a federal responsibility and Iowa’s law is invalid under the U.S. Constitution.

“As a matter of politics, the new legislation might be defensible,” Locher wrote in June 2024. “As a matter of constitutional law, it is not.”

Thursday’s decision is technically the second time the 8th Circuit has ruled against the law.

Originally, Iowa was sued twice: by Migrant Movement for Justice and the Biden Administration. Locher granted injunctions in both cases, and in January, the 8th Circuit affirmed his ruling in the DOJ lawsuit and dismissed the second injunction as duplicative.

Shortly after, though, the Trump administration dismissed the federal government’s challenge, and the court agreed to rehear and rule on the injunction in the Migrant Movement for Justice case.

What did Iowa’s immigration law do?

Under the 2024 law, entering or residing in Iowa after being deported from or denied entry to the U.S. or failing to depart when ordered became a state offense. It followed a similar law Texas adopted, both of which have since been blocked by courts.

The Iowa law also required judges to order anyone convicted under the law to return to their country of origin.

In his order blocking the law, Locher identified several problems: Most glaringly, a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision found that state-level immigration laws interfere with and are preempted by federal immigration enforcement.

In the case of Iowa, Locher noted, having state judges order people to leave the country bypasses the extensive and often case- and country-specific federal system to decide when, how, and to where a person can be deported.

“This creates an untenable dichotomy between federal and state law in an area where the Supreme Court has recognized that the United States must speak with a single, harmonious voice,” Locher wrote.

The law also does not make any exceptions for people with current legal resident status. That’s a problem for several of the plaintiffs in the Migrant Movement case, who at one time were deported or denied entry but later were able to obtain legal residency.

While Attorney General Brenna Bird said she did not intend to enforce the law against legal residents, Locher noted county prosecutors would not be bound by her statement.

8th Circuit finds law likely unconstitutional

In it’s ruling Thursday, the 8th Circuit once again upheld Locher’s reasoning.

Judge Duane Benton wrote for the court that Iowa’s law intrudes into federal immigration authority even further than the Arizona law struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012.

Allowing state officials not only to detain people for suspected immigration violations, but to order them removed from the country, with a potential prison sentence of 10 years, greatly exceeds the state’s powers under the U.S. Constitution, the court found.

The court rejected Iowa’s arguments in defense of the law, finding that many ran contrary to the plain text of the statute.

For example, where Bird argued the law only required the state to deliver aliens to a “port of entry” — namely, the Des Moines airport — and would have no effect outside the state’s borders, the appeals court noted the law requires migrants to leave the entire country, not just the state, under penalty of prison.

“Any enforcement of the act would likely conflict with federal law by interfering with the enforcement discretion that federal law gives to federal officers,” Benton wrote. “(Plaintiffs) have clearly shown that their facial challenge is likely to succeed on the merits because every application of the Act stands as an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and objectives of Congress.”

Yes, but: to whom does the injunction apply?

Locher’s injunction blocked any state agent, including county prosecutors, from enforcing the law against anyone. That may be too broad, the appellate court says.

In a June 2025 case against Donald Trump, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly limited the use of “universal injunctions” that apply beyond the parties in a particular case.

In light of that ruling, the 8th Circuit is directing Locher to consider whether he has authority to block enforcement by all state officers, as opposed to just those named in the lawsuit, and whether the law can be enforced against individuals who are not members of Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice.

Regardless of how the injunction may be modified, the lawsuit is likely to continue.

Locher’s June 2024 order put in place a preliminary injunction, blocking the state from enforcing the law while the case progressed. Barring further appeals, Thursday’s appellate decision means the case will continue before Locher for further proceedings before the court could potentially make its injunction permanent.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.

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Iowa man braving frigid cold temperatures in car with his dog gets help

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9 hours ago

December 5, 2025

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Iowa man braving frigid cold temperatures in car with his dog gets help

An Iowa man who spoke to CBS News about sleeping in his car with his dog during the frigid winter temperatures is now receiving support from his community. CBS News’ Tom Hanson has more, and meteorologist John Elliott has the latest weather forecast.

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Iowa State’s Matt Campbell emerging as top Penn State coaching target: Sources

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22 hours ago

December 5, 2025

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Iowa State’s Matt Campbell emerging as top Penn State coaching target: Sources

Penn State has been searching for James Franklin’s replacement since October. Is Matt Campbell next? Ron Jenkins / Getty Images

By The Athletic College Football Staff

Dec. 4, 2025Updated 9:04 pm EST

By Ralph D. Russo, Bruce Feldman and Chris Vannini

Penn State’s ever-winding coaching search has now turned its focus to Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, people briefed on the situation told The Athletic. Penn State and Campbell’s camp have been in conversation on Thursday.

Campbell has spent the past decade at Iowa State, posting a 72-55 record with two appearances in the Big 12 Championship Game. His 2024 team won a school-record 11 games, and the 2020 team went 8-0 in conference play, the first time ISU finished atop its conference standings since 1912. He’s the winningest coach in school history, and he’s responsible for five of the program’s 12 seasons with eight wins or more, across 133 years of football.

The Ohio native, who graduated from Division III power Mount Union, spent one season of his playing career at Pitt and the next 17 years in the state of Ohio, including 2012-15 as Toledo’s head coach.

Penn State’s search to replace James Franklin, now 53 days long, has missed on several targets, including BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, who on Tuesday opted to remain at his alma mater. Louisville’s Jeff Brohm also decided to stay at his alma mater, according to sources briefed on the talks. Other names in the mix this week included former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who has the support of the Pegula family that owns the Buffalo Bills and are big Penn State donors. Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees have also been in the mix, and interim head coach Terry Smith has gotten support from current and former players.

Campbell has been involved in many coaching searches over the years. He received interest from the New York Jets that he declined, and he was a finalist for the USC job that went to Lincoln Riley.

This story will be updated.

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Dec 5, 2025

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Takeaways from Iowa State basketball record-setting win vs Alcorn State

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1 day ago

December 4, 2025

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Takeaways from Iowa State basketball record-setting win vs Alcorn State

AMES — At one point during the second half of Iowa State basketball’s win over Alcorn State on Dec. 3, Nate Heise knocked down a 3-pointer and the PA announcer was halfway through saying Milan Momcilovic’s name before offering a quick correction.

With the way things were going on Wednesday night, could you blame him?

Not only did Momcilovic start by going 8-for-8 from beyond the arc, but it also felt like the rest of the Cyclones couldn’t miss.

No. 9 Iowa State bulldozed visiting Alcorn State, 132-68, setting team scoring and 3-point records along the way.

Coach T.J. Otzelberger called a timeout, not even two minutes into the game, to settle his team down after a sloppy start that led to an Alcorn State 7-0 run, fueled by uncharacteristic turnovers. His players got the message and quickly put things out of reach with a 29-4 run.

The Cyclones (8-0) held a commanding 65-28 lead by halftime. They led by as much as 66 points, with 5:58 left in the game.

Momcilovic finished with a game-high 27 points and five steals. Jamarion Batemon added 26 points and shot 7-of-10 from deep off the bench. Joshua Jefferson had a 24-point, 10-assist double-double in a turnover-free outing. Heise and Killyan Toure each had 13 points, while Dominykas Pleta added 12.

Here are three takeaways from the Cyclones’ win:

Jamarion Batemon on Iowa State basketball’s recent offensive success

Iowa State basketball sets several team records

The Cyclones’ 22 made 3-pointers and 132 total points are new program single-game records.

With just under six minutes to go, Jefferson ran out in transition and considered going for a layup before kicking it out to an open Momcilovic. The junior converted with a corner 3-pointer that gave the Cyclones their largest lead of the night and officially broke the program’s 3-point record.

Iowa State previously made 18 3-pointers in a 92-89 overtime win at Kansas on Feb. 4, 2017.

Batemon caught fire in the second half, recording 17 of his 26 points after the break. He also sank one final long-range basket with under a minute to go, helping the Cyclones officially set the record at 22.

“It was amazing to just have that kind of fun with your guys,” Batemon said. “We work for it every day, so to see that kind of performance like that, it was amazing to see.”

The Cyclones also broke another record from that same season. On Nov. 20, 2016, Iowa State defeated The Citadel, 130-63.

Batemon’s final 3-pointer also gave the Cyclones the single-game team scoring record.

Iowa State was unselfish in its record-setting performance, with assists on 33 of 46 baskets.

The Cyclones also set new marks for most points scored in a single half by an Otzelberger-led team. Iowa State had 60 points in the second half against Syracuse last week, but it followed up by dropping 65 first-half points against the Braves and then 67 second-half points to finish off Alcorn State.

The program record for most points in a single half was 76 points against Omaha on Dec. 31, 1991.

“We’re not necessarily in this to try to break records; we want to play to a standard and play the best we can every possession,” Otzelberger said. “It’s great to see some of our guys with their confidence get going, shooting the ball the way that they are, so we’ll just continue to do the hard work and play one possession at a time, but for the work they put in, they should feel good about the way they shared the ball, the way they shot the ball. Now we need to continue to get better doing it.”

Cade Kelderman and Jamarion Batemon on Iowa State scoring records

Iowa State’s scorching-hot shooting display

Over Iowa State’s last 60 minutes of basketball action, which includes the second half of the Cyclones’ 95-64 slaughter of Syracuse on Nov. 26, Iowa State has amassed 192 points. That’s an impressive 3.2 points per minute.

Since the second half against Syracuse, Iowa State is shooting a blistering 68-of-96 overall (70.8%) and 28-for-41 (68.3%) from beyond the arc.

When you break it down by half against Alcorn State, Iowa State shot 22-of-29 (75.9%) and 10-for-12 from deep in the first half. There was a slight dip after the break, but the Cyclones hardly missed a beat, shooting 24-of-36 (66.7%) and 12-of-18 from long range.

“It was a lot of fun,” Iowa State guard Cade Kelderman said. “Felt like everyone on our team couldn’t miss.”

Defensively, Iowa State generated 27 turnovers, which turned into 48 points the other way.

The Cyclones also won on the glass, once again, outrebounding Alcorn State, 32-18. Iowa State had 10 offensive rebounds, which turned into 20 second-chance points.

It was an all-around dominant performance.

“Our defense has to set the tone for everything,” Otzelberger said. “How we dictate and the physicality we play with always translates to the same thing on the offensive end, so our greatest performances defensively usually translate to things going well offensively.”

Iowa State basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger on Dom Nelson’s health

Iowa State guard Dominick Nelson is day-to-day, Cade Kelderman ready to step up

Dominick Nelson didn’t get to join in on the high-scoring affair and was a noticeable addition to the Cyclones’ injury list.

He did not play against Alcorn State and is day-to-day with a groin injury, according to Otzelberger.

“In the game against Syracuse, something that he kind of tweaked it — a lower-body, groin (injury),” Otzelberger said. “When we got back, it was a little bit more sore than we thought. Didn’t have great burst or range of motion. He’ll continue to be evaluated, he’s getting workouts in and when he’s ready to be reintegrated, we will do that, but I’d say at this point he’s day-to-day.”

Iowa State coach T.J Otzelberger on guard Cade Kelderman

With Nelson and Tamin Lipsey dealing with groin injuries, it looks like the Cyclones will be counting on Kelderman to step into the rotation.

The Waukee native carved a niche for himself as a dependable player who could fearlessly step into extended minutes at the end of last season when the Cyclones were bogged down by injuries. The junior guard played well enough that he was promoted from walk-on to scholarship player.

Kelderman had seen some action this year, sparingly, but against Alcorn State, he entered the game early in the first half and reappeared throughout. He had seven points, seven assists, four steals and no turnovers through 16 minutes.

“We knew that his opportunity would come and more opportunities are going to continue to come his way, so what I really value and appreciate about Cade is he’s an everyday guy,” Otzelberger said. “He’s a competitor, he’s a winner and when you call his number, he’s going to step up for you. We saw that again here today.”

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.

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