Supreme Court maintains ban on encouraging illegal immigration

Helaman Hansen had been convicted of falsely promising nearly 500 non-U.S. citizens a path to citizenship in exchange for $1.8 million.

By Ben Whedon

Published: June 23, 2023 6:48pm

The Supreme Court has upheld a federal ban on encouraging illegal immigration, but narrowed down the range of acts to which it applies.

The Friday decision saw the justices vote 7-2 in support of the ban, according to The Hill. The decision reversed a lower court ruling that determined it ran afoul of the First Amendment.

Helaman Hansen had been convicted of falsely promising nearly 500 non-U.S. citizens a path to citizenship in exchange for $1.8 million. Hansen had challenged the crime as unconstitutional.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the majority, upheld the ban's constitutionality, but determined that "[p]roperly interpreted, this provision forbids only the intentional solicitation or facilitation of certain unlawful acts."

Only Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.