Supreme Court Blocks Florida Law Criminalizing Undocumented Entry

The Supreme Court of the United States denied an emergency request from Florida officials to lift a lower court block on Senate Bill 4-C, a state law that criminalizes the entry of undocumented immigrants into Florida. Signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in February, the law establishes first-degree misdemeanors or felonies for unauthorized entry, with mandatory prison sentences ranging from nine months to five years.

James Uthmeier, the Attorney General of Florida, sought the high court's intervention to combat the "evil effects of immigration." Despite support from the Trump administration and a brief from the U.S. Department of Justice arguing the law is in harmony with federal policy, the Supreme Court issued a brief, unsigned order maintaining the judicial block without providing written reasoning.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams originally blocked the law in April, ruling it likely unconstitutional for infringing on federal authority over immigration. Judge Williams also found Uthmeier in civil contempt for continuing to enforce the law and sending letters to law enforcement that contradicted her order to halt enforcement. The legal challenge was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Florida Immigrant Coalition, and the Farmworker Association of Florida, who argued that states cannot regulate immigration.