A federal judge is blocking a key part of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ anti-immigration law that he pushed ahead of his run for president. The contentious measure, which the Republican-controlled legislature passed last year, made it a felony for someone to transport undocumented migrants into the state. U.S. District Judge Roy Altman, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, temporarily blocked the measure because he agreed with those challenging the law that it is likely preempted by federal immigration laws. , “By making it a felony to transport into Florida someone who ‘has not been inspected by the federal government since his or her unlawful entry,’ [the law] extends beyond the state’s authority to make arrests for violations of federal immigration law and, in so doing, intrudes into territory that’s preempted,” Altman wrote, reports Politico.
Altman rejected the state's argument that a preliminary injunction could prevent authorities from identifying drug traffickers. “Any harm the state may suffer from an injunction is outweighed by the harm [the law] poses both to the plaintiffs and the United States, which has the ultimate interest in protecting federal supremacy in the realm of immigration,” Altman wrote. DeSantis has routinely slammed the Biden administration over immigration and made national headlines in 2022 when he arranged to fly migrants who crossed the Texas border to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Before DeSantis launched his campaign for president, he signed off on sending law-enforcement units and National Guard members to Texas. The 2023 law was seen as a continuation of those efforts, and DeSantis touted it during the bill-signing as the “most ambitious anti-illegal immigration laws in the country.” The measure was challenged by a group representing Florida farmworkers and people who have transported undocumented migrants, including family members, into the state. Florida will challenge the judge's ruling.