Attorney General Ken Paxton joined a 20-state coalition demanding that the US Department of Justice seek to reverse a Nevada District Court’s decision in United States v. Carrillo-Lopez, which recently struck down as unconstitutional 8 U.S.C. § 1326, the federal immigration statute that criminalizes the illegal reentry of illegal aliens who have previously been removed from the United States. The judge’s ruling was a shocking departure from both the long-understood intent of Congress and of prior judicial precedents, and if left unchallenged, would exacerbate the unsustainable situation at our southern border and further weaken law enforcement’s ability to keep Americans safe.

“The Biden Administration’s policies have already caused enough of a crisis at the border, and this court’s decision will only further strain already depleted resources and increase the safety and health risk to Texans and the rest of the nation," Attorney General Paxton said. "States are fed up with having to defend federal law. It’s time for this administration to do their job and put Americans first.”

Read the letter here.