Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is giving law enforcement a green light to continue arresting migrants under a new state law even though a federal judge has forbidden it.
Uthmeier said he cannot prevent state and local police from enforcing the immigration statute, which requires them to detain undocumented migrants who enter Florida.
But legal experts say he can and should.
That’s because U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami has blocked the law, saying it might be unconstitutional.
She will hold a hearing on the matter next Tuesday.
The law became a flashpoint last week when a Florida highway patrolman arrested a Mexican-American man entering the state who turned out to be a U.S. citizen.
READ MORE: Trump fires more immigration judges even as he aims to increase deportations
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