Legal battle intensifies as state officials clash with Federal Court over SB 4-C
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams has issued a preliminary injunction against Florida’s new immigration law, SB 4-C, effectively halting its enforcement statewide.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the law in February 2025, and it criminalized undocumented immigrants who enter Florida by evading federal immigration authorities.
Judge Williams, however, issued a temporary restraining order on April 4, 2025, in response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU. The plaintiffs argued that SB 4-C infringes upon the federal government’s exclusive authority over immigration matters, which violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has taken a defiant stance against the court order.
Initially, Uthmeier advised law enforcement agencies to comply with the judge’s restraining order. However, just five days later, he issued a second memo asserting that Judge Williams’ order did not legally bind local police departments. He suggested they could continue enforcing SB 4-C. The move has drawn sharp criticism from the judiciary.
During a hearing on April 29, 2025, Judge Williams expressed her astonishment at Uthmeier’s actions, stating, “Color me surprised and shocked.”
She stressed the fact that her order unequivocally applies to all law enforcement agencies in Florida, regardless of whether they were named in the original lawsuit. The judge has scheduled a hearing for May 29, 2025, to consider potential sanctions against Uthmeier for his apparent defiance of the court’s directive.
When the law was passed, around 12 people were arrested for the supposed “misdemeanor.” However, no further arrests have been reported since Uthmeier’s second memo was released.
The outcome of this legal battle could set a precedent for how far states can go in enacting and enforcing their own immigration laws.
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