Topline
The Supreme Court rejected Wednesday a request from the Florida government to let it enforce a law banning undocumented immigrants from entering the state, meaning the law will not go back into effect as the case moves forward.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at a press conference on May 19.
Key Facts
The Supreme Court denied Florida’s request to pause a lower court order, which blocked the state from enforcing its law making it a misdemeanor for undocumented immigrants to enter the state.
Under the law, known as SB 4-C, anyone who “knowingly enters or attempts to enter [Florida] after entering the United States by eluding or avoiding examination or inspection by immigration officers” can be convicted of a first degree misdemeanor.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams blocked Florida officials from enforcing the law in April while litigation proceeds, and then ruled in June to hold Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in civil contempt for evading the order and continuing to enforce the law.
The Supreme Court did not provide any reasoning for rejecting Florida’s appeal in their order Wednesday, nor did they note any justices that dissented and would have granted Florida’s request.
What To Watch For
The litigation over the Florida law is still ongoing, and it’s possible the Supreme Court could be asked to rule on it again in the future.
Tangent
Florida isn’t the only state where officials are battling in court to punish undocumented immigrants, as Texas has also been defending its state law allowing local police to arrest anyone they suspect unlawfully crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. A federal appeals court blocked that law in court last week, ruling it conflicted with federal law and that federal immigration authorities have sole power to “control immigration.”
Key Background
SB 4-C was one of a number of anti-immigration measures that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s GOP-controlled legislature enacted in February, which they framed as helping to support the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigration. “It is about maximum coordination and collaboration with President Trump,” state Republican State Sen. Joe Gruters said in February, as quoted by NBC News. Florida has taken multiple other steps to back the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, including having its law enforcement work in agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and threatening punishments against localities in the state that decline to partner with ICE. The state has most recently come under widespread controversy for constructing what’s become known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” an immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades that was built using state funds. The facility has sparked protests and reports of poor conditions for detainees, but has been hailed by the Trump administration, with President Donald Trump saying the site was “so professional and so well done” during a visit to the detention facility in July and suggesting it could be a model for facilities in other states.
Further Reading
Judge finds Florida attorney general in contempt for defying court order in major immigration case (NBC News)
Trump’s presence looms as Florida GOP passes immigration deal after weeks of infighting (NBC News)
U.S. citizen released from jail after arrest under Florida’s new anti-immigration law (Florida Phoenix)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/07/09/supreme-court-rejects-florida-attempt-to-ban-undocumented-immigrants-from-entering/