SCOTUS denies Florida AG request to enforce controversial immigration law

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Florida's emergency bid to let it enforce a controversial immigration law that would ban illegal immigrants from entering the state — leaving in place a lower court's pause on immediately enforcing the measure.

Justices on the 6-3 conservative majority Supreme Courtdid not explain their decision, and there were no noted dissents.

At issue was Florida's Senate Bill 4C, which would make it a crime for undocumented migrants to enter the state if they had been previously deported or previously denied entry into the U.S., regardless of their history, and even if they had since gained lawful status in the country.

Re-entering the state after being deported would be considered a felony under S.B. 4C, and individuals suspected of violating the law would be jailed, without bond, until their cases could be heard in court.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier asked the high court late last month to intervene and block a preliminary injunction handed down in April by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit declined to take up the case.

Uthmeier argued in his appeal that, barring intervention from the high court, Florida and its citizens will "remain disabled from combatting the serious harms of illegal immigration for years as this litigation proceeds through the lower courts."

Uthmeier was ultimately joined by 17 states n backing the state's position to the Supreme Court. 

The Justice Department, for its part, also filed a 33-page brief of its own supporting Florida's enforcement of the law.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Lawyers for the Trump administration said Monday that S.B. 4C "complements existing federal immigration law by punishing those within, or that come within, Florida’s regulatory reach who previously entered or reentered the country in violation of U.S. immigration law."

"Florida’s law is in harmony, not conflict, with federal law."

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.