³ÉÈËXÕ¾

NATIONAL NEWS

Florida attorney general identifies wrongful charges under halted immigration law

Jul 16, 2025, 8:19 AM | Updated: 6:06 pm

FILE - Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks during a meeting between Gov. Ron DeSantis an...

FILE - Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks during a meeting between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state cabinet at the Florida capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, file)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, file)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — At least two people have been wrongly charged under a Florida law that outlaws people living in the U.S. illegally from entering the state since a federal judge halted its enforcement, according to a report Florida’s attorney general is required to file as punishment for defying the judge’s ruling.

Both men were arrested in late May by deputies in northeast Florida’s St. Johns County, more than a month after U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami issued an order freezing the enforcement of the state statute. The law makes it a misdemeanor for undocumented migrants to enter Florida by eluding immigration officials.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said in his report filed at the beginning of July that he only became aware of the two cases at the end of June after requesting information from state and local law enforcement. As punishment for flouting her order and being found in contempt, the judge requires Uthmeier to file bimonthly reports about whether any arrests, detentions or law enforcement actions have been made under the law.

On May 29, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a man with an active immigration detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and another man on counts of illegal entry and driving without a valid driver’s license, according to the status report.

As corrective action, the charge involving the man with the ICE detainer was dismissed in state court, and prosecutors filed a motion that was granted to vacate the charge for illegal entry in the second case, R.J. Larizza, state attorney for the jurisdiction that covers St. Johns County, said in a separate filing.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation into law in February as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Immigrants rights groups filed a lawsuit on behalf of two unnamed, Florida-based immigrants living in the U.S. illegally shortly after the bill was signed into law. The lawsuit said the new legislation violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution by encroaching on federal duties.

Williams issued a temporary restraining order and injunction that barred the enforcement of the new law statewide in April. The attorney general’s office then unsuccessfully petitioned the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to override that decision. Uthmeier has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.

After Williams issued her original order, Uthmeier sent a memo to state and local law enforcement officers telling them to refrain from enforcing the law, even though he disagreed with the injunction. But five days later, he sent a memo saying the judge was legally wrong and that he couldn’t prevent police officers and deputies from enforcing the law.

The judge last month found Uthmeier to be in civil contempt of her ruling.

___

Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: .

National News

fort stewart georgia shooting...

Associated Press

5 soldiers shot before arrest made at Army’s Fort Stewart in Georgia

Five soldiers were shot Wednesday at Fort Stewart in Georgia, leading to a lockdown at the Army base before the shooter was arrested, officials said.

8 hours ago

Titan...

Associated Press

Titan sub disaster was caused by weak safety and oversight, Coast Guard says

The Coast Guard said the Titan sub disaster was caused by weak safety and oversight.

1 day ago

Texas...

Associated Press

Why dozens of Democrats left Texas and how Republicans want to punish them

Dozens of Democratic state lawmakers in Texas have scattered to points across the country.

2 days ago

The U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)Credit...

Associated Press

August recess can’t hide tensions ahead for Congress on spending and Trump nominations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers have left Washington for the annual August recess, but a few weeks of relative quiet on the U.S. Capitol grounds can’t mask the partisan tensions that are brewing on government funding and President Donald Trump’s nominees. It could make for a momentous September. Here’s a look at what’s ahead when lawmakers […]

2 days ago

FILE - Damage can be seen to a front window as law enforcement officers work the scene of a shootin...

Associated Press

Arkansas man sentenced to life without parole for 2024 mass shooting at grocery store

FORDYCE, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas man who killed four people and injured 11 others last year in a mass shooting at a grocery store was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole. A state judge sentenced Travis Eugene Posey to four life sentences for each count of capital murder. Posey was also sentenced […]

2 days ago

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks at the annual Fancy Farm picnic Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Fanc...

Associated Press

Mitch McConnell’s legacy comes under fire in Kentucky race to replace him in the Senate

CALVERT CITY, Ky. (AP) — Republican Nate Morris had deftly warmed up a crowd of party faithful, gushing about President Donald Trump and recounting his own life’s journey — from hardscrabble childhood to wealthy entrepreneur — when he turned his attention to the man he wants to replace, Sen. Mitch McConnell. That’s when things got […]

2 days ago

Florida attorney general identifies wrongful charges under halted immigration law