Midwest
Judge halts Iowa attempt to take action against illegal immigrants
A federal judge in Iowa halted the state’s effort to enforce its own immigration laws on Monday.
The Iowa law would have allowed the state to file criminal charges against illegal immigrants who have outstanding deportation orders or who previously had been denied entry to the U.S.
U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Locher’s block on enforcement is only temporary as the Iowa legislation is further litigated. Locher said he nevertheless believes the law will fail because federal immigration law supersedes that of states.
“As a matter of politics, the new legislation might be defensible. As a matter of constitutional law, it is not,” Locher’s ruling read. “Under binding Supreme Court precedent, Senate File 2340 is preempted in its entirety by federal law and thus is invalid under the Supremacy Clause.”
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A federal judge in Iowa halted the state’s effort to enforce its own immigration laws on Monday. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the “illegal re-entry” bill into law earlier this year. It followed similar legislation in Texas. Officials in both states have heavily criticized President Biden’s handling of border policies.
Reynolds and Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said the state plans to appeal the ruling.
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“Iowa never would have had to pass this law to begin with if it weren’t for Biden’s open borders,” Bird said in a statement after the ruling. “Rather than suing Iowa for enforcing immigration laws, he should do his duty to secure the border.”
Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the “illegal re-entry” bill into law earlier this year. It followed similar legislation in Texas. Officials in both states have heavily criticized President Biden’s administration’s handling of border policies. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Reynolds, meanwhile, argued that the Biden administration has left states “defenseless” against the “ongoing crisis at our southern border.”
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“Plainly, the Biden administration is failing to do their job and enforce federal immigration laws allowing millions to enter and re-enter without any consequence or delay,” she added.
U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Locher’s ruled that Iowa’s immigration law is blocked thanks to a 2015 Supreme Court ruling. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Iowa’s law was due to take effect on July 1. The Justice Department has announced plans to go after a similar piece of legislation in Oklahoma in the coming weeks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Illinois is receiving $148.8 million from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family as part of a nationwide $7.4 billion settlement agreement that took effect Friday, marking the state’s latest payout from companies that systematically addicted generations of Americans to opioids.
The money will be doled out over the next 15 years, mostly in the next three, under the deal reached last spring by a coalition of state attorneys general including Illinois’ Kwame Raoul.
“No amount of money will ever put right the devastating effects of Purdue’s and the Sacklers’ prioritization of profits over people’s lives and the welfare of our communities,” Raoul said in a statement. “I will continue to ensure settlement funding is distributed equitably throughout the state to help support programs that are trying to mitigate the opioid addiction crisis.”
A nationwide investigation of Purdue Pharma was launched in 2016 over the company’s role in fueling the opioid epidemic through the over-prescription of painkillers like Oxycontin, and the downplaying of risk for addiction.
Illinois sued Purdue and its owners in the Sackler family in 2019, when Purdue filed for bankruptcy.
The overarching settlement agreement, which permanently bars the Sacklers from selling opioids in the U.S., calls for the family to pay $1.5 billion and Purdue to pay $900 million in the first payment. They’ll also pay $500 million in a year, the same amount in two years and $500 million in three years.
Opioid settlements with other companies linked to the nationwide crisis have totaled more than $58 billion, with Illinois so far earmarked for $1.6 billion.
More than $531 million of that has already been paid out to the state from various distributors and pharmaceutical companies.
About 725,000 people died of opioid overdoses across the country from 1999-2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Overdoses spiked in Cook County during the COVID-19 pandemic, to a staggering high of 2,001 deaths in 2022, with 91% of those cases tied to fentanyl. Fatal opioid overdoses have declined since then, with 1,822 deaths countywide in 2023, 1,169 in ‘24 and 687 last year, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Settlement funds are dedicated to addiction treatment, prevention and recovery programs. For more information on treatment for opioid addiction, visit helplineil.org or call 833-2FINDHELP.
INDIANAPOLIS — Police are investigating at two central Indiana schools on Friday after reported threats of violence.
Avon High School
According to an alert from Avon High School, the school was placed on a lockdown around 2:14 p.m.
Officials said the lockdown was lifted and the school campus is currently under a ‘secure the building’ status after an anonymous call.
Provided
The alert said the call referenced threats outside of the building, and the interior of the school was not threatened.
A sweep of both the interior and exterior of the school found no threats.
All students are safe, and they will remain in classrooms until early dismissal, officials said.
Traffic is currently being blocked from entering the campus until an investigation is completed.
The Avon School Police Department said the incident will now be investigated by Federal authorities.
Zionsville High School
There were also reports of a police presence at Zionsville High School on Friday.
According to Superintendent Dr. Rebecca Coffman, a call indicating a bomb threat was received around 2 p.m.
Law enforcement immediately responded to assess the threat and found it to be non-credible.
All students were reported to be safe. Students will be released following normal protocols this afternoon.
An investigation is ongoing, Zionsville PD told WRTV.
WRTV has a crew at both scenes.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – A house fire displaced one Iowa City resident Thursday afternoon.
The Iowa City Fire Department responded to the 1600 block of Crosby Lane at 4:06 p.m. after a caller reported flames and smoke coming from the front door of the house.
Upon arrival, crews found smoke coming from the roof and doors. Firefighters entered the home and extinguished a fire in the basement, containing it within 10 minutes of arrival.
One resident was displaced. No injuries were reported. Damage is estimated at $50,000.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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Illinois in line for $148.8M opioid settlement payout from Purdue Pharma