Florida halts migrant arrests after judge rebukes state over immigration law enforcement

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has instructed authorities instrumentality enforcement to halt the arrests of undocumented migrants nether a caller migration instrumentality aft a national justice doubled down connected a restraining bid against the state. 

The directive comes aft U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said during a Friday proceeding she was "astounded" by the state’s determination to proceed making arrests aft she had issued a erstwhile bid directing officials to halt earlier this month.

The Florida Attorney General’s Office did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment. 

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and erstwhile Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez be the archetypal time of the legislative league astatine the Florida State Capitol connected Tuesday, March 4, 2025, successful Tallahassee, Florida.  (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

It is simply a misdemeanor for amerciable immigrants to participate Florida, nether authorities law. 

In a missive to authorities officials, Uthmeier directed authorities instrumentality enforcement to comply with the judge’s bid contempt not agreeing with the decision. 

MAYORS, LOCAL OFFICIALS COULD FACE ARREST IF THEY DON'T COMPLY WITH TRUMP'S MASS DEPORTATIONS

Incoming and outgoing migration detainees are processed astatine the Krome Service Processing Center successful Miami, Florida.  (Jack Gruber/USA Today)

The bid comes aft attorneys suing the authorities revealed authorities person made 15 arrests successful the past 2 weeks, including a U.S. national calved successful Georgia. 

Last week, 20-year-old Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez was pulled implicit by Florida Highway Patrol adjacent the Florida-Georgia borderline and subsequently taken into custody by migration officials. It is unclear whether Gomez, who was detained nether the caller instrumentality signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis successful February, provided recognition upon being arrested. 

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks connected migration issues and signs a Memorandum of Understanding betwixt the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and the Florida Highway Patrol during a round-table lawsuit astatine Florida Gulf Coast University connected Jan. 29, 2025.  (Andrew West/The News-Press/USA Today Network)

Gomez was charged with amerciable introduction into Florida and held astatine the Leon County Jail, wherever U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requested helium stay successful custody for up to 48 hours. The adjacent day, Gomez was released aft his parent provided his commencement certificate, Social Security paper and authorities recognition paper successful court. 

ICE and the Florida Immigrant Coalition did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment. 

A task force, comprising section and national instrumentality enforcement agencies, hunt a suspected amerciable migrant's conveyance successful St. Johns County, Florida, connected Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 pursuing a postulation stop. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)

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The adjacent proceeding regarding the state’s enforcement of the instrumentality is acceptable for April 29. 

Fox News' Dana McNicholl and The Associated Press contributed to this report.