James Uthmeier

A federal appeals panel has kept on hold a law targeting undocumented immigrants who enter the state, rejecting arguments by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Officials say prisoners have been using drones to smuggle in contraband cellphones and run cryptocurrency schemes, costing seniors millions.

The 2024 state law seeks to prevent children under 16 from opening social-media accounts on certain platforms — though it would allow parents to give consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts. Children under 14 could not open accounts.

Attorney General James Uthmeier says the state would not sit on the sideline while many hospitals have "extorted patients who have come in with life-or-death cases and left with crippling debt."

Former Florida CFO Alex Sink said the settlement should have been vetted by then-CFO Jimmy Patronis. She called for a separate probe into why that didn’t happen.

The lawsuit centers on what are known as 287(g) agreements, which local governments can enter with the federal government to provide training and authority to local police to help enforce immigration laws.

The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit April 2 in Miami challenging the constitutionality of the law, which the Legislature passed during a February special session. The law created state crimes for undocumented immigrants who enter or re-enter Florida.

The law, passed during a February special legislative session, created state crimes for undocumented immigrants who enter or re-enter Florida.

The March 28 injunction ruling focused on the students, who are from China and say the law has prevented them from working as graduate teaching assistants, positions that carry stipends and other benefits.

Attorney General James Uthmeier says he complied with a temporary restraining order but was free to express his disagreement with the judge's decision in a letter sent to law enforcement agencies.

The law, passed during a February special legislative session, created state crimes for undocumented immigrants who enter or re-enter Florida.

The judge specified that her order applied to all law enforcement agencies, despite a recent memo to the contrary from Attorney General James Uthmeier, who may face a contempt charge because of the memo.