Florida Asks Supreme Court To Let It Enforce State Illegal Immigration Law

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a state immigration law that recently landed him in contempt of court.

The law makes it illegal for an undocumented immigrant to enter Florida. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams put the law on hold in April, predicting it would eventually be found unconstitutional.

Now, Uthmeier wants the Supreme Court to stay her order as the case makes its way through appeal, saying Williams’ decision “inflicts irreparable harm on Florida and its ability to protect its citizens from the deluge of illegal immigration.”

Uthmeier argued in the appeal filed Monday that a decision in the case could take two years or more while Floridians “continue to feel the effects of illegal immigration, with all the carnage that epidemic brings in its wake,” citing costs to the state budget and of fentanyl overdoses following trafficking through the Southern border.

In the appeal, Uthmeier predicted the constitutionality of the immigration law itself would eventually be decided by the Supreme Court because “it strikes at the heart of States’ ability to protect their citizens from the devastating effects of illegal immigration.”

Williams, an Obama appointee, held Uthmeier in civil contempt of court last week because of letters he wrote and comments he made that appeared to violate her order. She ordered Uthmeier to regularly check and report on whether state attorneys had come across any instances of people getting arrested or detained under the immigration law.

Uthmeier brushed off the contempt ruling on X, writing, “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’s application was routed to Justice Clarence Thomas, who oversees cases arising from the 11th Circuit, which includes Florida. The high court filing came after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals denied Uthmeier’s request to stay Williams’ order that authorities cannot enforce the immigration law. Part of the reasoning, the appeals court said, was that it was unconvinced the law would be “decisive” in mitigating some of the negative effects that can come with undocumented immigration.

The immigration law initially was challenged by the Florida Immigrant Coalition, the Farmworker Association and two undocumented immigrants.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Uthmeier as state attorney general in February after he served as his chief of staff for several years and also managed his failed 2024 presidential campaign. Uthmeier has to run to keep his seat in 2026, though it’s not clear yet whether he’ll face a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump in the GOP primary.

Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.