Florida halts immigration arrests after judge rebukes state over immigration law enforcement

FLORIDA - Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has instructed state law enforcement to halt the arrests of undocumented immigrants under a new law after a federal judge doubled down on a restraining order against the state.

Uthmeier gives instructions, despite disagreeing

What we know:

Uthmeier's directive comes after United States District Judge Kathleen Williams said during a hearing last week that she was "astounded" by the state’s decision to continue making arrests after she had issued a previous order directing officials to stop earlier this month.

Following the court hearing, Uthmeier told the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Sheriffs and Florida Police Chiefs to "please instruct your officers and agents to comply with Judge Williams’ directives." However, he has made it clear he does not agree with the decision.

The judge's order comes after attorneys suing the state revealed authorities have made 15 arrests in the last two weeks, including a U.S. citizen born in Georgia.

Last week, 20-year-old Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez was pulled over by Florida Highway Patrol near the Florida-Georgia border and subsequently taken into custody by immigration officials.

Gomez was charged with illegal entry into Florida and held at the Leon County Jail, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requested he remain in custody for up to 48 hours. The next day, Gomez was released after his mother provided his birth certificate, Social Security card and state identification card in court.

What we don't know:

It is unclear whether Gomez, who was detained under the new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in February, provided identification upon being arrested.

What's next:

The next hearing regarding the state’s enforcement of the law is set for April 29.

'Toughest immigration laws in the U.S.

The backstory:

Under state law, it is a misdemeanor for undocumented immigrants to enter Florida.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a number of bills into law in February that seek to address immigration enforcement in the state – and in step with President Donald Trump's efforts to tackle immigration enforcement across the nation. DeSantis said Florida now has the "toughest" state laws on immigration enforcement in the U.S.

The bills – part of a large immigration package and after a brief squabble between DeSantis and state Republicans – eliminate in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants, make it a state crime to enter Florida undocumented and mandate "automatic death penalty" for immigrants convicted of murder, among other provisions.

Opponents said some of these measures would likely be challenged in court.

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