WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is making it easier for states to prosecute immigrants who use fake Social Security numbers to get a job.

The issue for the court was whether states could pursue the immigrants in court or had to leave those choices to the federal government, which typically has authority over immigration.

The court ruled 5-4 Tuesday, with conservatives in the majority, that nothing in federal immigration law prevents states from going after immigrants who use phony identification.

It reversed a ruling by the Kansas Supreme Court that the federal government has exclusive authority to determine whether an immigrant may work in the United States.

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