Judge denies request to block section 10 of new immigration law
DORAL, FL — Civil rights groups attempted to block section 10 of new immigration law SB 1718 that makes it a felony transporting someone who has entered the United States unlawfully. The request was denied immediately on Tuesday.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Miami, arguing SB 1718, put into effect on July 1, is unconstitutional because federal law preempts state law when it comes to immigration; that it ignores due process rights; and that it was written vaguely.
“For many individual Plaintiffs, Section 10 interferes with their ability to go about their daily lives,” was read on the motion, which requested for a temporary injunction halting enforcement.
Nevertheless, after it was filed, U.S. District Judge Roy Altman denied such request. His basis for taking that decision was that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other defendants who include prosecutors from across Florida hadn’t been properly given notice about the motion. The judge also said the civil rights groups could file the request again.
“This law’s only purpose is cruelty. It threatens Floridians with jail time for doing the most ordinary things, like visiting family, going to work and driving kids to soccer games,” said Spencer Amdur, an attorney at the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, to the media.
DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, approved and signed this law in June, raising concerns among immigrants due to its many prohibitions and requirements such as expanding requirements for businesses with more than 25 employees to use E-Verify, a federal system that determines if employees can legally work in the U.S.
Other measures include a ban on local governments from contributing money to organizations that create ID cards for undocumented immigrants and a requirement for hospitals that receive Medicaid reimbursement to track how much money they spend on illegal immigrants in emergency rooms and request the migratory status of those who ask for their services.
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