Commentary
Texas authorities trying to defend their state against illegal immigration are being met with howls of outrage.
Viewpoints
Opinion
The Myth That States Can’t Defend Against Illegal Immigration
The most insulting of critics accuse Texas of trying to “nullify” federal law—implicitly comparing their conduct to that of pre-Civil War slave states.
Illegal immigrants pass through coils of razor wire while crossing the U.S.–Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on March 13, 2024. John Moore/Getty Images
Rob Natelson
Author
Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor who is senior fellow in constitutional jurisprudence at the Independence Institute in Denver, authored “The Original Constitution” (4th ed., 2025). He is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage Guide to the Constitution.”
Author’s Selected Articles
