Iowa
Judge clears ICE’s path to deport asylum-seeker from Iowa to Congo
DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – A federal judge has cleared the way for ICE officials to deport a Bolivian asylum-seeker from Iowa to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Noting that José Yugar-Cruz is part of a class of people for whom the Supreme Court has twice issued orders lifting injunctions that prohibited such deportations, U.S. District Judge Stephen H. Locher ruled this week that he had “little choice” but to deny Yugar-Cruz’s motion to have the court block his removal from the United States.
Court records show that Yugar-Cruz, who is from Bolivia, entered the United States on July 8, 2024, at the Arizona border and immediately surrendered himself to law enforcement and was taken into custody.
In October 2024, Yugar-Cruz applied for asylum, citing a threat of torture in his home country. In December 2024, an immigration judge issued a “withholding of removal” order under the Convention Against Torture, based on the torture Yugar-Cruz had previously faced in Bolivia and likely would face again if returned to that country.
Although the federal government did not appeal the immigration judge’s ruling, it opted to keep Yugar-Cruz detained in jail while it searched for another country that would accept him if he were to be deported.
For 17 months, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement kept Yugar-Cruz jailed while the agency tried without success to remove him to Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Mexico and Canada.
In December 2025, Yugar-Cruz took ICE to court, seeking his release and arguing that his indefinite imprisonment was a violation of his rights given his lack of criminal history. The U.S. Department of Justice agreed Yugar-Cruz should be released from the Muscatine County Jail, subject to his continued supervision by ICE.
With his asylum case pending, Yugar-Cruz is detained again
With his asylum application still pending, Yugar-Cruz was released from jail. Days later, the Trump administration finalized a “Third-County Removal Agreement” with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which pledged that deportees sent there from the United States would not be subject to persecution or torture.
On March 9, 2026, ICE officials learned Congo had formally agreed to accept Yugar-Cruz for third-country removal. On April 8, 2026, Yugar-Cruz was taken into custody during what he expected to be routine, address-verification visit to an ICE field office in Cedar Rapids.
On the day his deportation flight was scheduled to leave the United States, Yugar-Cruz won a temporary stay in the proceedings by arguing the federal government could not legally deport him.
As part of that case, attorneys for Yugar-Cruz argued their client was a member of a certified class in the case D.V.D. v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In that case, a Massachusetts court had entered a preliminary injunction blocking the government from removing noncitizens to third countries without first providing those individuals an opportunity to be heard on the matter.
In Monday’s ruling on Yugar-Cruz’s deportation, Locher wrote that the Massachusetts decision is “unquestionably favorable to Yugar-Cruz’s position … The problem for him, however, is that shortly thereafter the United States Supreme Court took the unusual step of granting a stay of the injunction.”
So, although the Massachusetts case is still pending, ICE’s process for deporting individuals to third countries remains legally valid, Locher noted.
“This is all but fatal to Yugar-Cruz’s claim,” Locher wrote. “He is a member of a class of people for whom the Supreme Court has twice issued orders lifting injunctions that prohibited third country removals like the one (the federal government is) attempting to carry out here. In other words, when a different district court tried to do what Yugar-Cruz is asking this court to do, the Supreme Court intervened twice to stop it … The court cannot award relief on a one-off basis that the Supreme Court would not allow to be awarded en masse.”
Some human rights organizations have objected to the United States’ deportations to Congo, citing the armed conflicts, yellow fever outbreaks and widespread poverty in the area.
Two weeks ago, 15 South American migrants and asylum seekers deported from the United States to the Democratic Republic of Congo claimed to be facing pressure to return to their countries of origin where they fled persecution or torture.
Some of the 15 told the Reuters news agency that since being deported, they’d been given no viable options other than going back to their home countries, and are currently stranded in Kinshasa, a city of 15 million people, with no money and no passports.
Copyright 2026 IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH. All rights reserved.
LAURENS, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – An Iowa man is taking Nintendo and Pokémon Company International to federal court for allegedly refusing to grant him “Pokémon Professor” status.
Kyle Owens, 34, of Laurens is suing Nintendo of America and its affiliate, Pokémon Company International, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, alleging federal anti-trust actions that violate the Sherman Act.
The lawsuit seeks a court order and injunction that would grant Owens $341,000 in damages and award him Pokémon Professor certification, restore his access to “official Pokémon Professor tools” and enable him to host Pokémon events.
Pokémon is a Japanese franchise, aimed primarily at children, that includes trading cards, video games and movies involving a fictional universe populated by species that possess special powers. The franchise gained worldwide popularity in the late 1990s, but continues to be embraced today by children as well as adult collectors and gamers.
“The Pokémon Professor program is not merely recreational,” the lawsuit alleges. “It functions as a structured certification and authorization system, granting official status, access to official event tools, the ability to host sanctioned card and video-game matches, listing in an event locator, and opportunities that generate business traffic, customer attendance, product sales, good will and commercial advantage.”
Owens’ lawsuit alleges that on March 12, 2024, Pokémon Company International informed him he had passed the basic exam for the rank of Professor of Pokémon with a score of 100%.
Court exhibits indicate the notice informing Owens he had passed the exam also stated that before he could be welcomed into the program and take his “first steps as a Pokémon Professor,” he would need to submit to a background check.
The exhibits, made public in Owens’ court filings, indicate the background check conducted on behalf of the defendants determined there was a pending arrest warrant, issued by another state in 2022, for failing to appear in court on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct by engaging in fighting; possessing, repairing or selling an offensive weapon; and criminal mischief through damage to property.
On May 6, 2024, Pokémon Company International wrote to Owens, informing him that his “application to the professor program has been denied after reviewing the results of your background check.” The letter indicated that once the background check was completed, it was determined he had scored 80% on the exam and failed the test for professor status.
In his lawsuit, Owens claims he was initially denied certification due to an “old, low-level felony that was more than 10 years old,” and that the stated rationale for his denial was later changed to the three misdemeanor charges that do “not show guilty findings.”
The lawsuit claims the defendants’ denial of his certification as a Professor of Pokémon does not merely harm Owens personally but also reduces competition and consumer access by eliminating a qualified, Iowa-based event host from the official, organized-play system associated with Pokémon.
The defendants have yet to file a response to the lawsuit.
Copyright 2026 IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH. All rights reserved.
KINGSLEY, Iowa (KTIV) – Plymouth County Emergency Management says the city of Kingsley, Iowa, has sustained significant damage after the severe weather on Sunday, May 17.
In a press release, officials say all people are being turned away from entering Kingsley, and numerous power lines have fallen. Management says Kingsley residents are strongly encouraged to stay indoors until routes are cleared and power lines are restored.
If you are a Kingsley resident or in the immediate area, call the Plymouth County Communications Center’s non-emergency line at (712)-546-8191.
Emergency Management says updates will be posted to the Plymouth County Emergency Management Facebook page.
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
The Iowa State Cyclones have had quite the offseason. They lost Matt Campbell, Rocco Becht, and the majority of the roster, with many heading to Happy Valley to join the Penn State Nittany Lions. After years of consistency and greatness amongst the Big 12 conference, they now look in a completely different situation. Now, they have to save the program.
Over the last few seasons, Iowa State’s face of the program has been their quarterbacks. Outside of one solid Hunter Dekkers year, the last couple of years have been dominated by the likes of Becht and Brock Purdy. But with Becht now out the door, they have to look to the next best option.
The general consensus around the Cyclones is that their offseason was terrible. Partially that was true. But the players that Iowa State brought in aren’t as bad as people may think, and one name especially, takes the crown as the best offseason addition.
Jaylen Raynor is Key
The Cyclones brought in Jaylen Raynor, a three-year starter from the Arkansas State Red Wolves. He looks like he may be the savior of the program.
Raynor was a solid player as a freshman, having 2,550 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions throughout the year. The potential was limitless right off the bat. He stayed for a second year, improving his numbers to 2,783 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Then finally in his junior year, he once again bumped them up, this time to 3,361 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Raynor has been consistent throughout his collegiate career, and needs to continue that at Iowa State.
To be completely honest, the Cyclones are in a rough situation. Their roster is pretty sub-par, and a lot of their pieces aren’t near the expectations that Iowa State have. One of the only players that can really put everything together is Raynor, one of the most proven veterans of them all.
Raynor has to be the leader of the Cyclones. Everyone is coming in from different programs from different areas at different levels. When that happens, a quarterback needs to come in and lead his team by bringing the locker room together.
Iowa State’s season doesn’t just change depending on Raynor, it’s defined by him. A veteran leader that has consistently proven to shine now gets one last chance with a new program, where he has the opportunity to save the history, the success, and the pride of the Cyclones.
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