OPINION:
Florida is resisting a federal judge who is determined to crack America’s borders wide open. Tallahassee officials are using this case to see how far they can go to prevent robed partisans from usurping roles that properly belong to the legislative and executive branches of government.
Florida lawmakers sparked the controversy in February by enacting a statute allowing local police to apprehend anyone who illegally enters the state. The measure was carefully drafted to complement federal efforts, citing “Florida’s inherent sovereign authority to protect its citizens by aiding the enforcement of federal immigration law.”
The partnership paid off last week. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a joint operation with Florida that had rounded up 1,120 illegal aliens. Among them were 378 gang members, sex offenders and violent criminals.
Liberal activists want to keep all 1,120 of these future Democratic voters, so they ran to the nearest federal courthouse in search of a fellow traveler willing to end Florida’s collaboration with the feds.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams, appointed by President Obama, commanded State Attorney General James Uthmeier to halt enforcement of Florida’s immigration statute because it’s probably unconstitutional. Mr. Uthmeier essentially told Florida lawmen to follow their conscience and continue arresting illegals.
“I explained that I believed her after-the-fact expansion of her order to nonparties was wrong, and that my office would be arguing as much in short order,” he wrote in a letter to sheriffs and police chiefs. “It is my view that no lawful, legitimate order currently impedes your agencies from continuing to enforce Florida’s new illegal entry and reentry laws.”
Judge Williams went ballistic and set a hearing for Monday to decide whether to sanction the insubordinate official. Florida asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to intervene.
Liberals have no problem ignoring statutes and court decrees when it suits their needs. President Biden advised the Supreme Court to take a hike after it overturned his unconstitutional attempt to forgive student loan debt. Liberal cities and states routinely sabotage ICE’s search for illegals in their jurisdictions.
What Mr. Uthmeier is doing has a subtle but important distinction. He is disregarding a court’s directive so he can implement existing state and federal laws. Left-wing sanctuary cities ignore those laws to perpetuate a lawlessness that serves their political objectives.
“We’re the first state in the country to have all of our sheriffs and state law enforcement certified under 287(g). That’s a federal legal statute that allows local law enforcement to be delegated duties by ICE to help carry out federal prerogatives,” Mr. Uthmeier explained in an interview last week with a local Fox affiliate.
It’s a fair question whether Mr. Uthmeier or Judge Williams is the bigger scofflaw. Mr. Uthmeier is without doubt violating the spirit of the court’s instruction, but at least he will stand for election next year. Florida residents can approve or disapprove of his actions.
Judge Williams, on the other hand, can make policy decisions from the bench without fear of losing her job. Knowing this, she and many of her colleagues are furiously swinging their gavels to advance the agenda of the Democratic presidents who appointed them.
Our constitutional republic is undermined when legitimate choices made at the ballot box are reversed by zealots who can’t be brought to heel. A bit of targeted resistance is appropriate.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.