Federal judge says local police must follow order to halt enforcement of Florida immigration law

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Federal judge says local police must follow order to halt enforcement of Florida immigration law

By DAVID FISCHER
Updated 6:40 PM EDT, April 29, 2025

MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge told attorneys for the state of Florida on Tuesday that an order freezing the enforcement of a new state immigration law absolutely did apply to all of the state’s local law enforcement agencies, despite a recent letter to the contrary from the state’s attorney general.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said during a hearing in Miami that she planned to issue a preliminary injunction against a state statute that makes it a misdemeanor for undocumented migrants to enter Florida by eluding immigration officials.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation into law in February as part of President Donald Trump’s push to crack down on illegal immigration, though many of Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts are currently mired in battles with federal judges.

The judge had issued a 14-day temporary restraining order on April 4, shortly after the lawsuit was filed by the Florida Immigrant Coalition and other groups with support from the American Civil Liberties Union. She then extended it another 11 days after learning the Florida Highway Patrol had arrested more than a dozen people, including a U.S. Citizen. The lawsuit claims the new law violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution by encroaching on federal duties.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/immigration-florida-judge-order-fb87fe1a8556e3170d7b2310d6f9dd11

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Related: Florida seeks to enforce a law making it a crime for people in the US illegally to enter the state (Associated Press)

[Eugene]

1. Florida seeks to enforce a law making it a crime for people in the US illegally to enter the state

Source: Associated Press

Florida seeks to enforce a law making it a crime for people in the US illegally to enter the state

By MIKE SCHNEIDER and DAVID FISCHER
Updated 6:41 PM EDT, April 30, 2025

MIAMI (AP) — Florida’s attorney general asked federal courts Wednesday to let authorities enforce a new state law making it a misdemeanor for people in the U.S. illegally to enter Florida by eluding immigration officials.

State Attorney General James Uthmeier also asked U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami to put on hold her injunction against enforcing the law while the order is appealed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

“That law does nothing more than exercise Florida’s inherent sovereign authority to protect its citizens by aiding the enforcement of federal immigration law,” Uthmeier said in Wednesday’s court filing.

The judge’s order on Tuesday noted that there was a substantial likelihood that the Florida law would be found unconstitutional.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/immigration-florida-uthmeier-c527c9422c4fd00918cbfff7bf63b2d8