By Daniel Wiessner
(Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court refused on Friday to allow Iowa to implement a law allowing for the arrest and prosecution of people who are in the country illegally.
The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the Republican-led state’s law, which had been set to take effect in July before it was blocked by a judge, would interfere with the federal government’s ability to enforce U.S. immigration laws.
“Decisions about the removal of illegal aliens touch on foreign relations and must be made with one voice,” Circuit Judge Duane Benton wrote for the court.
Iowa’s law would make “illegal reentry” into the state a crime punishable by up to two years in prison and authorize state judges to order that individuals return to their home countries after serving sentences.
The ruling keeps the state law blocked pending the outcome of a lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice, which sued Iowa last year…
