WASHINGTON − Florida can't enforce a controversialnew lawtargeting undocumented immigrants entering Florida, theSupreme Courtsaid on July 9 in rejecting anemergency appeal from the state. The decision leaves in place a lower court's pause on the law while it's being challenged. The law, which made it a felony for certain immigrants to enter Florida, was passed to help carry outPresident Donald Trump's immigration policies. Florida Attorney GeneralJames Uthmeiertold theSupreme Courtthe law is needed to protect residents from "the deluge of illegal immigration." "If a State's police powers are powers at all, they allow a State to criminalize harms destructive to the community," he wrote in the appeal. Seventeen statestoldthe Supreme Court they're backing Florida's position as did the Trump administration. Lawyers for the immigrant rights groups challenging the law said the courts have been clear that such penalties are unconstitutional because immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. And Florida has never explained why, given its "extensive and ongoing collaboration with federal enforcement efforts," the state should be allowed to run its own immigration system as the law is being litigated,they said. In June, a federal judgefound Uthmeierincivil contemptbecause of a letter he sent in April to police after the law was paused. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said Uthmeier violated a directive to notify police agencies that a court order barred them from enforcing the law. Uthmeier has argued that the order should only apply to him and local state attorneys because they were the named defendants in the underlying legal challenge. The Florida attorney general had asked the Supreme Court to at least say the order doesn't apply to all of Florida's law enforcement officers. The challengers said it makes no sense to allow police to arrest people for crimes that can't be prosecuted because of Williams' ruling. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Supreme Court won't let Florida enforce controversial immigration law
