Does a state governor have the power to prevent immigration into their state?
<p>In response to the recent Paris attacks, the governor of Alabama recently said this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Alabama governor Robert Bentley is refusing to allow Syrian refugees to relocate to Alabama.</p>
<p>“After full consideration of this weekend’s attacks of terror on innocent citizens in Paris, I will oppose any attempt to relocate Syrian refugees to Alabama through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. As your Governor, I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm’s way,” Governor Bentley says in a statement released by his office.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://governor.alabama.gov/newsroom/2015/11/governor-bentley-refuses-syrian-refugees-relocating-alabama/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">(Source.)</a></p>
<p>Does the governor of Alabama have the power to prevent the federal government from resettling immigrants in their state?</p>
<p>If they don't have the power to do this directly, could they accomplish the same thing in some indirect way, or with the help of the state legislature?</p>

<p><strong>tl;dr</strong></p>

<p>No, entrance decisions are the purview of the federal government.  Governors do have the ability to lobby the federal government.</p>

<p><strong>Background</strong></p>

<p>The courts have found that State attempts to restrict resident or non-resident aliens encroach upon the federal government's exclusive control over entrance of aliens.  <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/403/365/" rel="nofollow"><em>Graham v. Department of Pub. Welfare</em>, 403 U.S. 365 (1971)</a>.  It is important to note that State scrutiny levels dealing with undocumented immigrants may be context specific <em>See, e.g.</em> <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/457/202/case.html" rel="nofollow"><em>Plyler v. Doe</em>, 457 U.S. 202 (1982)</a> (children and education).</p>

<p>The federal government's authority over immigration is further solidified by the Supremacy Clause of the <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlevi" rel="nofollow">U.S. Const. Article VI</a>.  <em>See</em> <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/426/67/" rel="nofollow"><em>Mathews v. Diaz</em>, 426 U.S. 67 (1967)</a>.</p>

united-states