South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined with 20 other states to support Texas’ Senate Bill 4 (S.B. 4), a state border security law, as the legal battle moves to the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
The coalition of states submitted a legal brief that challenges the federal government’s efforts to block states from taking measures to protect their residents from issues at the southern border.
“Texas is doing what Washington wouldn’t do under the former administration, protect its people,” said Attorney General Wilson. “When the federal government refuses to enforce immigration laws, states have not only the right but the duty to step in. This isn’t about politics, it’s about protecting families, upholding the law, and defending state sovereignty.”
According to the brief, S.B. 4 aligns with current federal immigration laws rather than conflicting with them. The states urge the court to dismiss the Biden Administration’s argument that federal authority overrides Texas’ law, stating that states should be able to act for their citizens if federal efforts are lacking.
The brief also disputes a lower court’s decision to strike down S.B. 4, arguing that it overlooked constitutional principles that support interpreting state and federal laws in ways that minimize conflict.
South Carolina and Ohio led the filing of this amicus brief, which also includes Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
You can read the full brief here.
