Judge withdraws decision that blocked Florida immigration law

Just hours after handing down a ruling confirming that a Florida immigration law was blocked, a federal judge appeared to issue a reversal of his own decision.

Judge Roy Altman issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday, temporarily blocking a key part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) immigration law that would make it a crime to transport undocumented migrants into the state.

Altman agreed with the Florida Farm Workers Association that federal immigration laws would likely supersede the law.

In a supplemental order issued Wednesday, Altman wrote that he wanted to “clarify the scope of this injunction.” The judge said there were several reasons why a state injunction should be appropriate in the case.

Hours later, Altman appeared to retreat. He issued another order, noting that “upon further consideration,” he will hold a briefing on “the proper scope of the injunction.”

The judge wrote that all parties must file a motion by June 6 on whether the injunction should apply to the plaintiffs or be a district or state injunction.

In his original order, Altman rejected Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s (R) arguments that an injunction could prevent law enforcement from doing its job, including in its efforts to identify people who are drug traffickers. .

Florida’s immigration law, SB 1718, was signed by DeSantis last year and has led to some migrants being relocated to blue states across the country on buses and planes.

Immigrant rights activists and the Florida Farm Workers Association filed the lawsuit last July, focusing specifically on the transportation of individuals who entered the country illegally.

After Altman’s injunction, Spencer Amdur, senior attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) Immigrant Rights Project, said the ruling was the right decision. He called the law unconstitutional and said it “threatened Floridians with prison time for doing the most ordinary things like going to work, visiting family and taking kids to football games.”

“This decision is an important victory for Florida communities,” he said in a statement. The Hill has reached out to the ACLU for an updated comment on Altman’s decision.

The Miami Herald noted that Altman’s conflicting orders on Thursday created confusion about how pending cases will be processed and how the injunction will proceed.

The Hill has reached out to the Florida Farm Workers Association and Mooney’s office for comment.

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