America First Legal Files Brief at the U.S. Supreme Court on Behalf of Senators Ted Cruz and Chuck Grassley Supporting Iowa’s Immigration Enforcement Law
On August 13, 2026, America First Legal (AFL), in partnership with Holtzman Vogel, filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Senators Ted Cruz and Chuck Grassley supporting Iowa Attorney General (AG) Brenna Bird’s defense of Iowa’s immigration enforcement law.
The flood of mass illegal immigration into the United States during the Biden Administration has created a national emergency, and states like Iowa have borne the brunt of its consequences. To rectify these ramifications, the Iowa state legislature passed Senate File 2340 (SF2340), granting local police and state judges the authority to arrest, jail, and order the return of certain immigrants to their home country. SF2340 also makes it a crime for certain individuals to be present after a federal deportation order.
Just two months after Governor Kim Reynolds signed SF2340 into law, a federal district court blocked it. After that, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld the district court’s block, saying SF2340 was unconstitutional because it could interfere with federal immigration enforcement. AG Bird has filed a petition with the Supreme Court asking it to hear the case and reverse the Eighth Circuit’s decision. AFL’s brief urges the Court to grant Iowa AG Bird’s petition and hear the case.
AFL’s brief explains that:
- The court applied the wrong standard to evaluate whether SF2340 was constitutional.
- S.F. 2340 will assist federal officials with enforcement rather than interfere.
- The lower court focused on hypothetical disagreements between state and federal officials rather than on how their work could support one another.
States that attempt to help enforce immigration law, such as Iowa, have had their laws blocked by activist courts. Meanwhile, states that try to protect aliens from immigration enforcement often completely ignore federal immigration law and avoid accountability.
“America’s immigration crisis does not stop at the southern border, and states should not be powerless to protect their own communities from its consequences,” said James Rogers, Senior Counsel at America First Legal. “States like Iowa that are willing to defend the rule of law should have the ability to work with the federal government and protect citizens without a radical, activist judge getting in their way.”
“When the federal government fails to enforce our immigration laws, there are devastating consequences,” Senator Grassley said. “I applaud Iowa for taking action to protect our local communities and I commend Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s dedication to this case. I’m proud to co-lead this amicus brief, and I will always fight to secure the nation’s borders and keep Iowans safe.”
The Holtzman Vogel team was led by Abhishek Kambli.
