Show-Me State Times

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has successfully obtained a court order to overturn the Biden-Harris Administration's "parole in place" (PIP) rule. This regulation would have allowed millions of illegal immigrants to gain permanent residency, bypassing existing legal requirements. Attorney General Bailey collaborated with sixteen other states in this legal action.

"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris created a crisis at the southern border, leaving the American people to pay the consequences. In the wake of the federal government’s refusal to act, states like Missouri had no choice but to step in and take action to secure our southern border," stated Attorney General Bailey. "We filed suit to ensure millions of unvetted individuals are not invading our communities."

The contested PIP program aimed to grant "parole" status to aliens unlawfully residing in the United States for ten or more years if they were spouses or stepchildren of U.S. citizens. This process would have circumvented traditional entry procedures requiring applicants to leave and re-enter through official ports.

The Department of Homeland Security under President Biden claimed it had "unfettered discretion" over who could enter the country without Congressional approval. The new program proposed that over 1.3 million illegal immigrants could apply for permanent residency, which was contested by attorneys general on constitutional grounds.

In their lawsuit, these state officials argued that Congress had not sanctioned such widespread amnesty for illegal aliens and requested judicial intervention against the PIP program. The court sided with them, declaring the rule unconstitutional and invalidating it.

Attorney General Bailey was joined by Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming as well as America First Legal in this lawsuit.