Iowa Requests Supreme Court Review of Blocked State Immigration Crime Law

In April 2024, Iowa passed SF-2340, a statute that criminalizes illegal immigration for people who have already been deported or previously denied entry, and Gov. Kim Reynolds signed it into law. Immigration advocates promptly filed lawsuits, leading a lower court to issue an injunction that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed in October 2025. Earlier this year, Attorney General Brenna Bird submitted a petition on Feb. 6 asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the injunction after a request for full-circuit rehearing was denied.

The Biden administration had previously sued to block the law, but the Department of Justice withdrew that suit after the change in administration. The Federation for American Immigration Reform filed an amicus brief asserting that Iowa’s law complements, rather than conflicts with, federal immigration enforcement. The petition urges the Court to grant review and reverse the block, emphasizing states’ right to aid federal immigration efforts.