The rule of law won a rare victory in a Florida court on Monday — at least for now.
A federal judge left in place a provision of a state law that says police officers would have to hold illegal immigrants until the federal officials pick them up, according to the Miami Herald.
This being a key tenet of the Democratic Party’s “sanctuary” policies, releasing people in the United States illegally before immigration officials can take them into custody.
Florida law SB 168 forbids sanctuary cities by requiring law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agencies — this being one of the key benefits of a Republican-controlled state legislature and a GOP governor.
GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill in June and the law went into effect July 1st. Enforcement by police began Tuesday, October 1st.
Miami U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom shot down a part of the law that requires local police to cross state lines to assist federal immigration officials, but left intact a part requiring illegal immigrants to be held for an extra two days until ICE picks them up, the Herald reported.
The judge cited Congress in explaining her decision.
“Congress gave a clear indication that it sought to facilitate, not preempt, the type of cooperation that SB 168 mandates,” Bloom wrote.
More on the law from the Herald:
To stay in compliance with the new Florida law, law enforcement offices in all 67 Florida counties will be required to enter into formal agreements with ICE. In the agreements, ICE promises to pay local governments $50 for holding an immigrant up to an extra two days. A group of Florida sheriffs were the first in the nation to reach these kinds of agreements with ICE in 2017. Under the new law, they are mandatory.
Naturally, Democrats like South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard, a plaintiff in the case, complained.
“I’m a little baffled by it. … It’s ridiculous,” Stoddard said, according to the paper. “It’s putting immigration enforcement above public safety.”
Of course, the liberal mayor also considers gun control and stricter gun measures to be “protecting” citizens.
“This means if ICE tells you to drop everything, patrol, protection of schools, criminal investigations, you have to go play Cowboys and Indians with ICE,” the mayor added. “Local law enforcement is secondary to immigration enforcement.”
The plaintiffs include radical left-wing social justice organizations and open border groups. A virtual army.
Dream team of immigrants rights leaders & attorneys in court fighting ICE impositions in FL #sb168 pic.twitter.com/IEJiH3XDx3
— Community Justice Project (@cjpmiami) September 26, 2019
They were represented in court by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Community Justice Project and the University of Miami School of Law Immigration Clinic.
Monday’s ruling can be (and almost certainly will be) appealed.
While most on the left consider laws like this to be racist, Floridians who respect the rule of law and have an understanding of the full impact of illegal immigration were pleased with the ruling.
Here’s a sampling of responses from Twitter:
So we will actually enforce laws in miami Dade? That can’t be bad news.
— Alwaysnarkin (@alwaysnarkin) September 30, 2019
Good. Don’t California my Florida!
— Calvin Trump (@RealCalvinTrump) September 30, 2019
T Hammering ? Down!??? pic.twitter.com/NJd9PaX97D
— Chris (@Miamichris1) October 1, 2019
Omg..actually following the law. What a concept.
— BigMexican4Trump (@2016GetOverIt) October 1, 2019
Shouldn’t all law enforcement be upholding THE LAW!!?!
— Ann ? (@Doodisgirl) October 1, 2019
Why isn’t this every city/state?
— Andrew ‘BUILD THE WALL’ White ?????? (@caspias) October 1, 2019
De Santis for POTUS 2024?! After Trump?
— Regular Joe (@RegularJoe25) October 1, 2019
And for the record 99 percent of cops want to help ICE, it’s their liberal Mayors and Commissioners preventing them
— Shawn Dougherty Jr. (@asacschrader68) October 1, 2019
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Tom@bizpacreview.com
The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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