American Civil Liberties Union heralds appeals court decision blocking Florida from apprehending undocumented immigrants.
An injunction blocking Florida from enforcing a law criminalizing undocumented immigrants was upheld by a judicial appeals court Friday.
The measure stipulated the state could criminalize any undocumented immigrant as they come to the Sunshine State. But Friday, according to reports in the Miami Herald and other media outlets, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit Court in Atlanta agreed with a lower court’s ruling that prevented law enforcement and prosecutors from arresting those immigrants under the state’s SB-4 which was enacted in February after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the measure.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the appeal to the higher court who wanted a stay on the temporary injunction. But the Atlanta appeals court disagreed with the Attorney General’s position.
“This is a difficult case, and this order does not finally resolve the issues,” states the order, issued by judges Jill Pryor, Kevin Newsom and Embry Kidd in Atlanta, according to the Miami Herald.
The rejection of the appeal by Uthmeier was heralded by immigration advocacy groups. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was celebrating the appeals court decision.
In an ACLU news release, the organization said Uthmeier was overreaching repeatedly.
“The court also cited Attorney General Uthmeier’s troubling letter that had encouraged law enforcement officers to violate the district court’s injunction, which was recently the subject of a hearing in district court to consider possible contempt-of-court findings and sanctions,” the ACLU said in a news release.
Bacardi Jackson, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida, said the Florida measure was out of line from the beginning.
“This ruling is not just a legal victory — it’s a resounding rejection of cruelty masquerading as policy,” Jackson said. “Florida lawmakers tried to use fear as law and racial profiling as governance. SB-4 was a flagrant abuse of power designed to punish immigrants and divide our communities. But the Constitution does not bend to political theater. This decision is a reminder that no matter how many times they try to turn back the clock on justice, we will meet them in court and in the streets — every single time. Our message is simple: immigrants belong, and we will never stop fighting for their freedom and dignity.”
Post Views: 0