BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana bill that would empower state and local law enforcement to arrest and jail people in the state who entered the U.S. illegally received approval from lawmakers and will likely soon be on the governor’s desk. Laws similar to Louisiana’s legislation — in Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas — are currently facing legal challenges. Texas’ law remains on hold by a federal appeals court’s three-judge panel, which heard arguments from both supporters and opponents in April. It is unclear when the panel will issue a ruling. Like the Texas law, Louisiana’s bill seeks to expand the authority of state and local law enforcement.
