Latest news with #FloridaLaw
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
US supreme court blocks Florida from enforcing anti-immigration law
The US supreme court maintained on Wednesday a judicial block on a Republican-crafted Florida law that makes it a crime for undocumented immigrants in the United States to enter the state. The justices denied a request by state officials to lift an order by the Florida-based US district judge Kathleen Williams that barred them from carrying out arrests and prosecutions under the law while a legal challenge plays out in lower courts. Williams ruled that Florida's law conflicted with the federal government's authority over immigration policy. The law, signed by the Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, in February and backed by the Trump administration, made it a felony for some undocumented migrants to enter Florida, while also imposing pre-trial jail time without bond. 'This denial reaffirms a bedrock principle that dates back 150 years: States may not regulate immigration,' said Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. 'It is past time for states to get the message.' After Williams blocked the law, Florida's attorney general, James Uthmeier, a Republican, and other state officials filed the emergency request on 17 June asking the supreme court to halt the judge's order. Williams had found that the Florida law was probably unconstitutional for encroaching on the federal government's exclusive authority over US immigration policy. The state's request to the justices was backed by America First Legal, a conservative group co-founded by Stephen Miller, a senior aide to Donald Trump and a key architect of the administration's hardline immigration policies. Florida's immigration measure, called SB 4-C, was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law by DeSantis. It made Florida one of at least seven states to pass such laws in recent years, according to court filings. The American Civil Liberties Union in April sued in federal court to challenge the law, arguing that the state should not be able to 'enforce its own state immigration system outside of federal supervision and control'. Williams agreed. The law imposed mandatory minimum sentences for undocumented adult immigrants who are convicted of entering Florida after arriving in the United States without following federal immigration law. Florida officials contend that the state measure complies with – rather than conflicts with – federal law. Sentences for violations begin at nine months' imprisonment for first offenders and reach up to five years for certain undocumented immigrants in the country who have felony records and enter Florida after having been deported or ordered by a federal judge to be removed from the United States. The state law exempts undocumented immigrants in the country who were given certain authorization by the federal government to remain in the United States. Florida's immigration crackdown makes no exceptions, however, for those seeking humanitarian protection or with pending applications for immigration relief, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued in federal court to challenge the law. The ACLU filed a class-action suit on behalf of two undocumented immigrants who reside in Florida, an immigration advocacy group called the Florida Immigrant Coalition and the non-profit group Farmworker Association of Florida, whose members include immigrants in the United States illegally who travel in and out of Florida seasonally to harvest crops. Some of the arguments in the lawsuit included claims that it violates the federal 'commerce clause', which bars states from blocking commerce between states. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, in a statement issued after the challenge was filed said that Florida's law 'is not just unconstitutional – it's cruel and dangerous'. Williams issued a preliminary injunction in April that barred Florida officials from enforcing the measure. The Atlanta-based 11th US circuit court of appeals in June upheld the judge's ruling, prompting the Florida officials to make an emergency request to the supreme court. In a filing on 7 July, the state of Florida pointed to a brief filed by the Trump administration in the appeals case, in support of SB 4-C. 'That decision is wrong and should be reversed,' administration lawyers wrote at the time. On the same day that Florida's attorney general filed the state's supreme court request, Williams found him in civil contempt of court for failing to follow her order to direct all state law enforcement officers not to enforce the immigration measure while it remained blocked by the judge. Williams said that Uthmeier only informed the state law enforcement agencies about her order and later instructed them to arrest people anyway. Williams ordered Uthmeier to provide an update to the court every two weeks on any enforcement of the law. Other states have tried to pass similar laws, including Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho and Iowa, which have attempted to make entering their jurisdictions, while undocumented, a state crime.
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Supreme Court keeps hold on Florida immigration law aimed at people in the US illegally
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow Florida to enforce an immigration law making it a crime for people who are living in the U.S. illegally to enter the state. The high court's action will keep the law on hold while a legal challenge continues. The court did not explain its decision and no justice noted a dissent.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Florida's appeal to enforce controversial immigration law
WASHINGTON − Florida can't enforce a controversial new law targeting undocumented immigrants entering Florida, the Supreme Court determined on July 9 in rejecting an emergency appeal from the state. "The application for stay presented to Justice Thomas and by him referred to the Court is denied," the order says. There is no written opinion and no justices dissented. The decision leaves in place a lower court's pause on the law while it's being challenged. Senate Bill 4C, passed during a legislative special session in the spring, made it a state felony for certain immigrants to enter Florida. DeSantis called the special session to pass legislation to help carry out President Donald Trump's immigration policies and his mandate for mass deportation. In his appeal to the Supreme Court, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said the law is needed to protect residents from "the deluge of illegal immigration." "If a State's police powers are powers at all, they allow a State to criminalize harms destructive to the community," he wrote. The attorney general's office and the governor's office have not yet responded to questions for comment from the USA TODAY NETWORK. Seventeen states told the Supreme Court they're backing Florida's position as did the Trump administration. Trump, who recently visited the state's first immigration detention facility dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, has touted the Florida governor and attorney general's anti-illegal immigration efforts. Lawyers for the immigrant rights groups challenging the Florida law said the courts have been clear that such penalties are unconstitutional because immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. And Florida has never explained why, given its "extensive and ongoing collaboration with federal enforcement efforts," the state should be allowed to run its own immigration system as the law is being litigated, they said. In June, a federal judge found Uthmeier in civil contempt because of a letter he sent in April to police after the law was paused. Uthmeier argued that the order should only apply to him and local state attorneys because they were the named defendants in the underlying legal challenge, not law enforcement officers in Florida. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said Uthmeier violated a directive to notify police agencies that a court order barred them from enforcing the law. In response, Uthmeier posted on X, saying: "If being held in contempt is what it costs to defend the rule of law and stand firmly behind President Trump's agenda on illegal immigration, so be it." The Florida attorney general had asked the Supreme Court to at least say the order doesn't apply to all of Florida's law enforcement officers. USA TODAY contributed to this report. Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@ This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: U.S. Supreme Court rejects Florida appeal to enforce immigration law
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Supreme Court refuses to allow Florida to enforce immigration law
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow Florida officials to enforce a state law that imposes harsh criminal penalties on undocumented migrants for entering the state. The case, brought by immigrant advocacy groups, raises questions about whether and how states can police illegal immigration. The challengers say the law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in February, illegally supersedes the federal government's power over immigration enforcement.
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Supreme Court Keeps Hold On Florida Immigration Law Aimed At People In The Us Illegally
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow Florida to enforce an immigration law making it a crime for people who are living in the US illegally to enter the state. The high court's action will keep the law on hold while a legal challenge continues. The court did not explain its decision, and no justice noted a dissent. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation into law in February in support of President Donald Trump's push to crack down on illegal immigration. Immigrants' rights groups filed lawsuits on behalf of two unnamed Florida-based immigrants living in the US illegally, arguing that immigration is a federal issue beyond the power of the states. US District Judge Kathleen Williams barred the enforcement of the new law in April. The attorney general's office then unsuccessfully petitioned the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals to override that decision. The law is similar to a Texas law that also has been blocked by a federal appeals court.
