Texas is one of 22 states turning to Supreme Court to overturn lower court decision on illegal immigration law

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — Texas is one of 22 states now petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a recent decision by the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on illegal immigration policy.

In a release, Attorney General Ken Paxton says the Ninth Circuit decision invalidates a federal statute that makes it illegal for a person to “encourage” or “induce” illegal immigration. The Arizona-led cert-stage amicus brief is aiming to have that decision overturned.

The brief states: “More than ever, illegal immigration is a serious problem imposing tremendous economic, social, and fiscal burdens on the States—including border states like Arizona. The decision below, if left undisturbed, will undoubtedly impede the enforcement of criminal immigration laws nationwide, leading to significant adverse consequences for the States. The decision below also implicates Amici States’ well-recognized interest in enforcing their own criminal laws.”

Paxton’s release says the federal government has used the statute to prosecute smuggling and other activities that facilitate illegal immigration. It also says all 50 states have laws that use language like the statute in question, and it suggests that the Ninth Circuit’s decision puts at risk these laws that have been designed to prevent and punish serious crimes.

You can read the entire brief by clicking here.