Here’s where courts are slowing Republican efforts for a state role in enforcing immigration law

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The federal government has long had sole authority over immigration policy in the United States, but several Republican-led states have continued to push for a role in enforcing regulations out of frustration with current policy and as a way to criticize Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden.

With polling showing Americans are increasingly worried about illegal immigration, the concern has become a top issue in the presidential campaign between Biden and Republican Donald Trump. Republican officials in several states say they owe it to their citizens to be more proactive in charging and deporting people who don’t have legal status to be in the U.S.

Iowa is among states that have approved laws granting state law enforcement and courts the right to file criminal charges against people based on their immigration status, but this week a federal judge blocked the state’s new regulations that were set to take effect July 1.

What happened in Iowa?

A federal judge on Monday issued a preliminary injunction that blocks a law approved by Republican lawmakers and GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds that gave state authorities some power that has been left to federal officials. The Iowa law would allow prosecutors to file criminal charges against people who have outstanding deportation orders or who previously have been removed from or denied admission to the U.S.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Biden is offering some migrants a pathway to citizenship. Here’s