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.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation into law in February in support of Donald Trump’s push to crack down on illegal immigration, though many of the Republican’s president efforts have been mired in legal battles.
Florida’s law made it a misdemeanor for people to enter the state if they don’t have legal status. The measure is similar to a Texas law that also has been blocked by a federal appeals court.
Immigrants rights groups filed lawsuits on behalf of two unnamed, Florida-based immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, arguing that immigration is a federal issue beyond the power of the states. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s appeal to the Supreme Court said the state has a right to use the law to protect itself from the “irreparable harm” of illegal immigration.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams barred the enforcement of the new law in April. Uthmeier’s office then unsuccessfully petitioned the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to override that decision.
Wednesday’s order is the latest blow for Uthmeier in a months-long battle. In June, Williams found the DeSantis appointee to be in contempt for instructing officers to continue enforcing the new law despite the judge’s orders to stop enforcement.
“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,” Uthmeier said on social media.
Uthmeier, who DeSantis tapped for the position in February, has also been credited for championing a new state-run immigration detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Environmental groups sued in June to block the facility from being built.
