Judge considers whether Florida's attorney general should be held in contempt over immigration law

A national justice was considering whether Florida’s lawyer wide disobeyed her impermanent bid prohibiting the enforcement of a caller authorities instrumentality making it a misdemeanor for radical successful the U.S. illegally to participate Florida

MIAMI -- A national justice was considering Thursday whether Florida's attorney wide disobeyed her bid prohibiting the enforcement of a caller authorities instrumentality making it a misdemeanor for radical successful the U.S. illegally to participate Florida, and whether helium should beryllium held successful contempt and sanctioned.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams specified successful her ruling past period that her impermanent restraining bid against enforcing the Florida instrumentality applied to each of the state’s section instrumentality enforcement agencies. The Miami justice aboriginal noted that determination was a important likelihood that the Florida instrumentality would beryllium recovered unconstitutional.

But Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent retired an April 23 missive to Florida's instrumentality enforcement agencies saying that helium couldn't forestall instrumentality enforcement officers from enforcing the instrumentality “where determination remains nary judicial bid that decently restrains you from doing so.”

“As acceptable distant successful the little my bureau filed today, it is my presumption that nary lawful, morganatic bid presently impedes your agencies from continuing to enforce Florida’s caller amerciable introduction and reentry laws,” Florida's lawyer wide said successful the letter.

Dozens of people, including a U.S. citizen, person been arrested nether the law. Uthmeier has appealed the judge's bid to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals successful Atlanta.

In tribunal papers, Uthmeier said that helium was simply notifying section instrumentality enforcement agencies successful the April 23 missive that helium had filed a tribunal little that held a ineligible presumption disagreeing with the judge's order. He had obeyed the judge's bid by notifying section instrumentality enforcement agencies successful an April 18 missive that they couldn't enforce the instrumentality portion the tribunal lawsuit proceeded, according to Uthmeier's tribunal filings.

“There is nary ground for contempt oregon sanctions,” Uthmeier said. “Interpreting an bid to prohibit a authorities lawyer wide from disagreeing with a national bid — portion pursuing it — would besides beryllium an extraordinary, first-of-its-kind assertion of national judicial power, implicating sedate law concerns.”

But attorneys for an immigrants rights groups that challenged the Florida instrumentality said it was unacceptable that the Florida lawyer general's April 23 missive “encouraged arrests that helium afloat understood were specifically prohibited.”

Even if Uthmeier's arguments are taken astatine look value, that helium was simply stating his ineligible position, helium has done thing to wide up the disorder contempt fixed ample opportunities, said lawyers for the Florida Immigrant Coalition. They said the options the justice could see see fiscal sanctions and referring Uthmeier's behaviour to the Florida Bar for disciplinary proceedings oregon to national authorities for prosecution.

“Considered objectively and successful the discourse of the earlier letter, the Attorney General’s 2nd missive plainly undermined the announcement helium was directed to provide, and invited arrests which helium knew would beryllium violations of this court’s order," the immigrants rights' lawyers said successful tribunal papers. "That is quintessential contempt of court.”

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Follow Mike Schneider connected the societal level Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social.

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