The Passenger Cases, George Smith v. William Turner, was a Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of immigration and whether or not states had the power to regulate it. The plaintiff argued that Congress alone had authority over immigration under Article I of the Constitution and any state regulation would be unconstitutional. The defendant countered by arguing that states could impose regulations on immigrants in order to protect public health and safety within their borders. Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of Turner with a 5-4 decision which held that while Congress did have exclusive control over naturalization (the process through which an immigrant becomes a citizen), they did not have exclusive control over regulating immigration itself; instead this power fell to both federal and state governments depending on what type of regulation was being imposed. This ruling set precedent for future cases involving similar issues regarding immigration law as well as other areas where federalism is at play between different levels of government.

In the Passenger Cases, George Smith argued that a law passed by Congress in 1819 which allowed for the collection of fees from passengers arriving to ports in the United States was unconstitutional. The majority opinion held that this law did not violate any constitutional provisions and could be enforced. However, Justice Daniel dissented from this decision and argued that it violated both Article I Section 9 of the Constitution as well as state sovereignty rights granted under Amendment X. He reasoned that since immigration is an issue traditionally left up to states rather than federal government control, allowing Congress to pass such laws would give them too much power over something they had no authority over. Furthermore, he noted how these fees were being used for purposes other than what they were intended for (i.e., health inspections) and thus constituted taxation without representation or due process of law - another violation of Constitutional protections afforded citizens at all levels of government