⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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United States v. Alan Lagunas — 8th Cir. (Sep 24, 2026)

No. 26-1179 Argued September 24, 2026 Published September 27, 2026

The Eighth Circuit hears Alan Hernandez Lagunas's appeal from a federal illegal-reentry conviction. Federal prosecutors say he had been deported three times, was found in Iowa in 2025, and received a six-month prison sentence for returning. His lawyer says a 2013 removal order rested on an earlier Iowa carrying-weapons conviction that did not actually make him deportable. The lawyer says immigration counsel wrongly conceded that point instead of contesting it. Lagunas now seeks dismissal of the reentry charge by challenging that old removal order. The judges will ask whether he had other ways to challenge the order, and whether his lawyer's conduct made those avenues unavailable.

United States v. Alan Lagunas (No. 26-1179) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, argued September 24, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — Eighth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://media-oa.ca8.uscourts.gov/OAaudio/2026/9/261179.mp3
Argument listing and date — Eighth Circuit:https://ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/sessions.pl?yymm=202609&getOA=Select
Case background and sentence — U.S. Attorney's Office:https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdia/pr/mexican-native-sentenced-prison-illegally-reentering-united-states
Government counsel background — U.S. Attorney's Office:https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdia/pr/united-states-attorney-david-waterman-announces-southern-district-iowa-senior
Illegal-reentry challenge rules — 8 U.S.C. § 1326(d):https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1326&num=0&edition=prelim
Firearm removal ground — 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(C):https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1227&num=0&edition=prelim
Federal firearm definition — 18 U.S.C. § 921(a):https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title18-section921&num=0&edition=prelim
Iowa weapons law — Iowa Code chapter 724 (2013):https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/2013/724.pdf
Three mandatory conditions — Supreme Court, Palomar-Santiago:https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/593us2r38_n648.pdf
Categorical approach — Supreme Court, Descamps:https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/boundvolumes/570bv.pdf
Ineffective-counsel reopening — Board of Immigration Appeals, Matter of Lozada:https://www.justice.gov/eoir/precedent-decisions-volume-19
Antique-firearm contrast — Iowa Supreme Court, State v. Rhodes:https://www.iowacourts.gov/courtcases/19912/embed/SupremeCourtOpinion

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