WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow Florida to enforce an immigration law making it a crime for people who are living in the U.S. illegally to enter the state.
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.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation into law in February in support of President Donald Trump’s push to crack down on illegal immigration.
READ MORE: Immigration arrests are up nationwide. Here's a look at Florida's numbers
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.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams barred the enforcement of the new law in April. The attorney general’s office then unsuccessfully petitioned the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to override that decision.
The law is similar to a Texas law that also has been blocked by a federal appeals court.
"Today’s decision extends a long and unbroken string of defeats that the courts have dealt to SB 4-C and related laws in Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho, and Iowa," said the ACLU of Florida in a statement.
The ACLU of Florida, along with the ACLU, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and the Community Justice Project are representing the plaintiffs.
“This denial reaffirms a bedrock principle that dates back 150 years: States may not regulate immigration,” said Cody Wofsy, Deputy Director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project. “It is past time for states to get the message.”
“This ruling affirms what the Constitution demands — that immigration enforcement is a federal matter and that no one should be stripped of their liberty without due process,” said Bacardi Jackson, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida.
“In attempting to adopt its own immigration enforcement regime, Florida’s SB 4-C risked increased racial profiling, civil rights violations, isolation of immigrant communities, and unjust deportations," said Paul R. Chavez, Director of Litigation & Advocacy at Americans for Immigrant Justice.
WLRN News Staff contributed to this report.
