Florida AG Seeks Supreme Court Approval to Enforce Immigration Law Criminalizing Reentry of Deported Migrants
Florida’s attorney general has requested the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the state to enforce a controversial immigration law that criminalizes the arrival or reentry of undocumented migrants who have previously been deported or denied entry. The law, known as Senate Bill 4C, was blocked earlier in the year by a federal judge in Miami and later by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is now seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court, arguing that the law is essential for addressing the harms of illegal immigration and that its enforcement is crucial for public safety.
Uthmeier’s office emphasized that the law cannot be enforced due to the ongoing litigation, which has prevented Florida from taking action against illegal immigration. The state argues that the law does not conflict with federal law, but this has not convinced federal judges. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, an Obama appointee, issued an injunction that blocked the law, describing it as likely unconstitutional and in conflict with existing federal laws. Williams also initiated contempt proceedings against Uthmeier for allegedly violating her injunction by allowing police to make arrests under the law.
In his appeal, Uthmeier argued that the Supreme Court must intervene to reverse the lower court rulings, which he claims are designed to protect future victims of the violence, drugs, and trafficking fueled by the entry and re-entry of unauthorized aliens. He warned that without the court’s intervention, Florida and its citizens will remain disabled from combating the serious harms of illegal immigration for years as the litigation proceeds through the lower courts. The Supreme Court’s decision on this case is yet to be determined, coming at a time when the court is already considering several emergency applications from the Trump administration on issues such as birthright citizenship and executive authority.