ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Two men last weekend were wrongly charged under a far-reaching Florida immigration law that’s currently suspended by a judicial order, according to a Monday report from the state attorney general’s office. Both men were charged in separate instances in Bradenton under a Florida law that outlaws people living in the U.S. illegally from entering the state, despite a federal judge's earlier ruling confirming that the law cannot be enforced while it’s being challenged in court.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier disclosed these arrests in a report he was mandated to file with the court twice a month after being found in civil contempt for instructing officers to ignore the judge’s order. The reports reveal that some Florida officers continue to wrongly charge individuals under the halted law, including instances from June and July in various parts of Florida.
On Saturday, one man was pulled over for driving with unsecured loads and informed the officer of his expired driver’s license. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sergeant confirmed the man's illegal status and issued an immigration detainer. The next day, another man was pulled over for obstructing traffic due to an engine block fallen from his vehicle and also admitted to being in the country illegally, leading to an ICE detainer.
Both men faced state charges of illegal entry, but those will be dismissed by prosecutors. The Saturday arrestee was additionally charged for driving with an expired license, and the Sunday arrestee for driving without a valid license.
Florida's new immigration law criminalized entering the state for those without legal status, but U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued an injunction in April halting its enforcement. Following the judge's initial order, Attorney General Uthmeier contradicted this directive shortly after, complicating legal enforcement.
As part of the consequences of defiance, the judge requires Uthmeier to submit bimonthly arrest reports related to this law’s enforcement. A note in the Monday report indicates the same officer likely executed both wrongful arrests, with local prosecutors advising the Bradenton Police Department to remind the officer of the judge's injunction.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier disclosed these arrests in a report he was mandated to file with the court twice a month after being found in civil contempt for instructing officers to ignore the judge’s order. The reports reveal that some Florida officers continue to wrongly charge individuals under the halted law, including instances from June and July in various parts of Florida.
On Saturday, one man was pulled over for driving with unsecured loads and informed the officer of his expired driver’s license. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sergeant confirmed the man's illegal status and issued an immigration detainer. The next day, another man was pulled over for obstructing traffic due to an engine block fallen from his vehicle and also admitted to being in the country illegally, leading to an ICE detainer.
Both men faced state charges of illegal entry, but those will be dismissed by prosecutors. The Saturday arrestee was additionally charged for driving with an expired license, and the Sunday arrestee for driving without a valid license.
Florida's new immigration law criminalized entering the state for those without legal status, but U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued an injunction in April halting its enforcement. Following the judge's initial order, Attorney General Uthmeier contradicted this directive shortly after, complicating legal enforcement.
As part of the consequences of defiance, the judge requires Uthmeier to submit bimonthly arrest reports related to this law’s enforcement. A note in the Monday report indicates the same officer likely executed both wrongful arrests, with local prosecutors advising the Bradenton Police Department to remind the officer of the judge's injunction.
