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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.
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