TN Attorney General Signs Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court To Enforce Federal Immigration Law

Image Credit: Office of Representative Phil Gingrey

By Tom Joyce [The Center Square contributor] and The Tennessee Conservative Staff –

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has signed an amicus brief, led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, regarding federal immigration law.

21 Attorneys General are asking the Supreme Court of the United States to uphold a federal statute to enforce federal immigration law in United States v. Hansen.  

“In the middle of this man-made disaster at our southern border, we need every tool and law available,” Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a press release. “The last thing we need is anyone incentivizing migrants to come here illegally and further straining our social safety net. Border communities are being overwhelmed by the influx of people.”

A grand jury charged California resident Helaman Hansen with multiple crimes in 2017 for scamming hundreds of noncitizens out of more than $1 million by promising them a nonexistent path to citizenship. 

According to the release, Hansen was charged under a federal statute for encouraging people to come to the United States illegally for “commercial advantage or private financial gain,” according to the release.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals then struck down the statute arguing that the words “encourage” and “induce,” in the law are too broad.

General Brnovich and the attorneys general argue in their amicus brief that the Ninth Circuit decision jeopardizes the constitutionality of criminal law in all 50 states. They worry that the decision may cause other state and federal courts to invalidate existing criminal laws.

The other attorneys general who signed the brief is from the states of: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.