US Supreme Court Examines Law Against Encouraging Illegal Immigration
By Andrew Chung and John Kruzel
03/27/23 AT 6:06 AM EDT
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will consider whether a federal law that made it a crime for a person to encourage illegal immigration violates constitutional free speech protections in a case involving a California man who deceived immigrants through a phony "adult adoption" program.
The justices are due to hear arguments in an appeal by President Joe Biden's administration of a lower court's decision to strike down the decades-old provision, part of a larger immigration statute, as overly broad because it may criminalize legitimate speech protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.
In invalidating the law, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the 2017 conviction of Helaman Hansen for violating the provision, which bars inducing or encouraging noncitizens "to come to, enter or reside" in the United States illegally, including for financial gain.
Hansen also was convicted of mail and wire fraud and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He is out of prison while his appeal is pending.
https://www.ibtimes.com/us-supreme-court-examines-law-against-encouraging-illegal-immigration-3680650
