Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has joined 23 other states in filing an amicus brief supporting a federal lawsuit against Illinois and the City of Chicago. The brief challenges sanctuary policies that the states argue interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
The filing supports the United States’ position that federal law supersedes state statutes regarding immigration. It asks the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to grant preliminary injunctive relief and ultimately invalidate Illinois’s sanctuary statute.
According to the brief, state laws that shield individuals in the country illegally from federal authorities disrupt the uniform enforcement of immigration laws. It argues that such policies conflict with the constitutional role of the federal government in managing immigration.
Bailey stated that he believes policies in Chicago pose risks to Missouri. He emphasized that states can assist federal immigration enforcement but should not pass laws that contradict it.
“When a minority of states like Illinois seek to thwart the enforcement of duly enacted federal immigration laws and policies, they impose the costs of their undemocratic choice on the rest of the Nation,” the brief states.
The brief also cites what it describes as the impact of illegal immigration on state resources, claiming increased pressure on welfare systems, emergency services, public education, and housing, along with increased crime.
States joining the amicus brief include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The full amicus brief can be read here.
