States Test Limits of Federal Immigration Laws, With Eye on Supreme Court

Texas and Oklahoma are among the states that have tried to implement their own immigration laws in recent years, with state lawmakers claiming they have no choice because of federal government inaction on the border. So far, most of those attempts have been halted by lower courts, on the grounds that immigration enforcement is the exclusive purview of the federal government. In late June, a federal judge blocked a law in Oklahoma that would make it a crime to be in the state without legal status. While attempts to pass immigration legislation in states like Texas and Oklahoma remain blocked by lower courts, in the latter’s case the judge said that if the Supreme Court were to issue different guidance, then he would listen.