The state of Iowa’s attempts to crack down hard on illegal immigration is being challenged in court.

A newly passed law making it a crime for an illegal immigrant to enter or re-enter the Hawkeye State if he or she has previously been deported or denied admission to the U.S., is being disputed as unconstitutional by civil rights and immigration groups. 

The complaint filed Thursday alleges that the new statute steps on the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration law. The case is similar to a more expansive Texas law that has been challenged by both the Justice Department and civil rights groups.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WARNS IT PLANS TO SUE IOWA OVER NEW STATE IMMIGRATION LAW

The suit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and the American Immigration Council on behalf of the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice and two individual Iowans. It’s the first legal action taken against Iowa in response to the law, though the U.S. Department of Justice warned the state’s top officials last week.

The bill, Senate File 2340, was signed into law last month by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, gives Iowa law enforcement officers the ability to charge people with an aggravated misdemeanor if they have entered the country illegally. It goes into effect on July 1 and mirrors part of a high-profile Texas law that is currently blocked in court.

The law specifically makes it an aggravated misdemeanor offense, which is punishable by up to two years in prison, for migrants in the state who have outstanding deportation orders, who were previously deported or previously prohibited from entering the country.

The crime is raised to a felony offense, according to the new law, if the immigrant’s removal orders pertained to misdemeanor convictions for drug-related crimes, crimes against people, or prior felony convictions.

However, the claimants argue that the new law conflicts with existing immigration laws by giving law enforcement the power to arrest immigrants who have authorization to be in the U.S., such as those granted asylum or those who were given visas to protect them from crime or trafficking.

Kate Melloy Goettel, legal director at the American Immigration Council, said even a person who has lawful immigration status, could be arrested and deported if they were previously deported or removed and reentered the country. 

GOP GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL ALLOWING LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO ARREST CERTAIN MIGRANTS, ‘ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS’

Audience members listen to community organizers speak during an informational meeting about the bill on March 27, in Des Moines, Iowa.

“It’s a law that makes absolutely no sense and is clearly unconstitutional,” Goettel said. “SF 2340 isn’t just about so-called criminal reentry. It’s a badly written law with far-reaching implications. It will create absolute chaos and human suffering in our legal system, and harm Iowa communities.”

Several states are trying to pass laws to clamp down on unprecedented levels of illegal immigration pouring into the country since President Biden took office. In Iowa and across the country, Republican leaders accuse Democratic President Joe Biden of failing to manage the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Nearly 7.3 million migrants have illegally crossed the southwest border under President Biden’s watch, a number greater than the population of 36 individual states, a Fox News analysis in February found. Tens of thousands more have crossed into the country illegally since then. 

Reynolds told Fox and Friends on Monday that the DOJ told her administration that the state is interfering with the federal government’s attempts to enforce immigration laws. 

She said the claims were “ridiculous” given the high number of crossings.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds speaks at the Family Leadership Summit on July 14, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“They are not enforcing the immigration laws that are on the books and in every state in this country, every governor understands the consequences of what is happening. We are seeing violent crime, increased drug seizures, we’re seeing overdose deaths skyrocketing.

“And if this president is not going to do his job then the states are going to have to step in and do it for him… he’s not undertaking his constitutional duty to protect the sovereignty of this country.”

Fox News’ Kyle Morris and Adam Shaw, as well as the Associated Press contributed to this report.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Rhys Hoskins, Jake Bauers and Joey Ortiz each homered to cool Sonny Gray as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the slumping St. Louis Cardinals 7-1 on Thursday night.

It was the fifth straight loss for the Cardinals, who opened a four-game series with the NL Central-leading Brewers.

William Contreras and Christian Yelich each went 3 of 4 for the Brewers. Jared Koenig (4-1) earned the win after pitching two scoreless innings of relief and working his way out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth.

Gray (4-2) has been one of the last-place Cardinals’ few bright spots since signing a three-year, $75 million contract in the offseason, but the 2023 Al Cy Young Award runner-up couldn’t stop St. Louis’ slide.

Through his first five starts, Gray allowed a total of six runs, and only three were earned. His 0.89 ERA was the lowest since 1910 by any Cardinals pitcher in his first five appearances with the organization.

The Brewers scored six runs off Gray on Thursday during his five-inning stint. Gray had given up just one homer all year before the Brewers went deep against him three times.

Milwaukee took the lead for good by scoring three runs in the first inning. It was the first time this season Gray had allowed a run before the fifth.

A two-out wild pitch from Gray brought home Contreras, who singled earlier in the inning. Hoskins, whose dog was watching from the stands as part of the Brewers’ “Bark at the Park” promotion, followed with a two-run homer over the wall in right-center field.

Bauers extended the lead to 4-0 by leading off the second with a 417-foot shot into the second deck of the right-field stands. After St. Louis’ Lars Nootbaar homered in the third, Ortiz made it 5-1 by delivering a 408-foot drive to center with two outs in the fourth.

Ortiz, who didn’t play in the Brewers’ 6-4 loss at Kansas City on Wednesday, has homered in each of his last two games.

The Cardinals wasted a couple of chances to get back into the game.

St. Louis brought the tying run to the plate with no outs in the fourth while trailing 4-1, but Dylan Carlson grounded into a double play and Masyn Winn struck out. The Cardinals then loaded the bases off Tobias Myers to start the fifth, but Koenig came out of the bullpen and got the next three outs without letting anyone score.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said “everything went well” in catcher Willson Contreras’ surgery Wednesday. Contreras broke his left forearm Tuesday when he was hit by a swing from J.D. Martinez in the Cardinals’ 7-5 loss to the New York Mets. Contreras is expected to return sometime after the All-Star break.

UP NEXT

LHP Robert Gasser is expected to make his major league debut for the Brewers on Friday. RHP Lance Lynn (1-0, 3.28) is pitching for the Cardinals.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb