Florida AG refuses to back down after contempt ruling in state immigration law battle

Florida officials are pushing back after a federal judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of a new state law targeting undocumented immigrants.

State Attorney General James Uthmeier was held in civil contempt earlier this year after sending a memo arguing that the judge’s order was legally flawed and did not prevent law enforcement from upholding the law, which was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

“She wanted me to direct all of our state law enforcement to stand down on enforcing Florida’s new state immigration law, and I was not [going to] do that,” Uthmeier said Thursday during an appearance on “America Reports.”

The DeSantis-signed statute makes it a misdemeanor for anyone in the U.S. illegally to enter or re-enter Florida. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams previously issued a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the policy after a lawsuit was filed by the Florida Immigrant Coalition and other concerned groups. 

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Judge Williams claims Uthmeier violated that order when he sent out a message telling members of law enforcement that the judicial order did not restrain them from enforcing the immigration law.

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Uthmeier claims the judge has “overstepped her bounds,” and he has not walked back his actions. 

“If being held in contempt is the price to pay for standing on principle and standing on the law, then so be it,” he said. 

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The state AG also framed the dispute as part of a broader pattern of judicial interference with the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, particularly on the national level. 

This month, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the Trump administration must provide due process to hundreds of Venezuelan migrants deported under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. Earlier this week, a U.S. appeals court agreed to pause that order from Boasberg. 

According to Uthmeier, judges across the country are overreaching their role, something he says would send the nation’s founding fathers “rolling over in their graves.” 

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“So many of these judges across the country that start pushing policy and legislation, and that’s not the role of the judiciary,” he said. “The federal government, the Trump administration, they’ve delegated authority to all of our state law enforcement officers to go out and use federal authorities to detain and deport, and we’re [going to] continue to do that.”

The court has ordered Uthmeier to submit bi-weekly reports detailing any arrests, detentions, or other law enforcement actions taken under the contested law. He must also immediately notify the court of any arrests under the law and provide full details.

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Despite the legal challenges, Uthmeier says Florida is prepared to take the case as far as the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We believe the state should have its own law. For another era, where we might have a Biden or Obama administration, where there’s an open border, a state should be able to protect its sovereignty,” he said. “So, we will appeal the state law case up to the Supreme Court.”