Latest news with #KathleenWilliams
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
ICE Detains Dozens in Florida, Including a US Citizen, Despite Judge Blocking New Immigration Law
Despite a federal judge blocking Florida's harsh new immigration law, state police have continued to arrest people under the statute, leading to dozens being detained by ICE, including a U.S. citizen. In February 2025, Florida passed a sweeping immigration crackdown that made it a crime to enter the state while undocumented, according to the Tampa Bay Times . Civil rights groups immediately sued, arguing the law unlawfully gave immigration enforcement power to local police. On April 4, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a temporary restraining order halting enforcement, citing constitutional concerns. But the arrests didn't stop. At least 25 people were arrested by Florida Highway Patrol after the freeze, with nine ending up in ICE detention centers across the country, from Miami to Washington state. Most were stopped for minor infractions such as driving with tinted windows or jaywalking. One man was arrested after being the victim of a hit-and-run. Several detainees had no criminal charges besides alleged immigration violations, and one was an American citizen, arrested in Leon County and held for over a day. Experts say many of the arrests were illegal, and those detained may be able to challenge their cases. None of the individuals were arrested for violent offenses. Detainees have been transferred far from home, face legal obstacles, and some have already been deported. Judge Williams has since clarified her injunction applies to all state police and is weighing contempt charges against Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who advised that officers could still make arrests. Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Prison heat lawsuit gets go-ahead
A federal judge has rejected a request by Florida corrections officials to dismiss a potential class-action lawsuit alleging the state has violated inmates' rights because of hot conditions at a prison in Miami-Dade County. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams on Wednesday issued a 30-page ruling that said inmates at Dade Correctional Institution can pursue claims under the U.S. Constitution's 8th Amendment, the Americans with Disabilities Act and a disabilities-related law known as the Rehabilitation Act. The 8th Amendment bars cruel and unusual punishment. Williams' ruling described a prison with a large number of older inmates that does not have air conditioning or adequate ventilation in dormitories or in the dining area. It also detailed heat indexes that often top 100 degrees in South Florida and said inmates are 'regularly and consistently exposed to heat indexes within the NWS (National Weather Service) danger zone during the summer months.' 'Plaintiffs further allege that the issue of excessive heat at Dade CI is exacerbated by insufficient ventilation systems,' Williams wrote. 'Plaintiffs allege that the ventilation systems in the dormitories, which were installed decades ago, have not been adequately maintained and are missing critical components, such as fans and motors.' Attorneys for three inmates filed the lawsuit in October against the state Department of Corrections, Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon and Dade Correctional Institution Warden Francisco Acosta. It seeks class-action status, though Williams has not ruled on that issue. The prison has a capacity of 1,521 inmates. The named plaintiffs are Dwayne Wilson, who was described in the lawsuit as a 66-year-old inmate with hypertension, an enlarged prostate and a burn scar over much of his body that impairs his ability to sweat; Tyrone Harris, a 54-year-old inmate who has conditions such as hypertension and asthma; and Gary Wheeler, a 65-year-old inmate who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In a December motion to dismiss the case, the state's attorneys argued, in part, that the 8th Amendment argument 'fails because the facts do not give rise to a substantial risk of serious harm to plaintiffs, nor demonstrate that Secretary Dixon or Warden Acosta has been deliberately indifferent to the conditions and risks faced by these (named) plaintiffs in particular.' 'By itself, the lack of air conditioning does not pose a substantial risk of serious harm. The deprivation required to allege an Eighth Amendment claim must be objectively 'extreme' enough to deny an inmate 'the minimal civilized measure of life's necessities.' The allegations of the complaint (the lawsuit) have not 'cleared this high bar.'' the motion said, partially quoting legal precedents. But Williams wrote that the lawsuit 'alleges a wide range of heat related injuries: heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat stroke, and death. Plaintiffs also extensively detail how excessive heat can exacerbate underlying medical conditions, in a facility where over 50 percent of all prisoners are over the age of 50. Finally, plaintiffs allege that, since 2021, extreme heat has contributed to the deaths of at least four individuals at Dade CI.' She also said that attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote to Acosta in September 2023 'detailing concerns about the extreme heat, lack of ventilation, and the serious threat of medical harm posted to the inmates based on those conditions. The court finds that the allegations plaintiffs raise about the ongoing excessive heat issues at Dade CI easily support the plausible inference that defendants were subjectively aware of the risks of heat-related harms.' The Miami-based judge also cited a report published in 2023 by the KPMG consulting firm, which had received a state contract to develop a master plan for the Department of Corrections. 'The report concluded that most FDC (Florida Department of Corrections) dormitories, including those at Dade CI, require retrofitting to comply with current ventilation standards, and that over one-third of FDC facilities were assessed to be in 'critical' or 'poor' condition,' Williams wrote. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Judge considers whether Florida's attorney general should be held in contempt over immigration law
MIAMI — A federal judge heard arguments Thursday on whether Florida's attorney general should be held in contempt or sanctioned for not following her order prohibiting the enforcement of a new state law making it a misdemeanor for people in the U.S. illegally to enter Florida. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams didn't make an immediate decision following an almost two-hour court hearing. Attorney General James Uthmeier didn't attend the court session in Miami. The federal judge had specified in a ruling last month that her temporary restraining order against enforcing the Florida law applied to all of the state's local law enforcement agencies. She later noted that there was a substantial likelihood that the Florida law would be found unconstitutional. But Uthmeier sent out an April 23 letter to Florida's law enforcement agencies saying that he couldn't prevent law enforcement officers from enforcing the law 'where there remains no judicial order that properly restrains you from doing so.' 'As set forth in the brief my office filed today, 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,' he said in the letter. Dozens of people, including a U.S. citizen, have been arrested under the law. Uthmeier has appealed the judge's order to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. Uthmeier, a former chief of staff to Ron DeSantis, was appointed to the position by the Republican governor after then-state Attorney General Ashley Moody was picked to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio, who was nominated to be President Donald Trump's secretary of state. In court papers, Uthmeier said he was merely notifying local law enforcement agencies in the letter that he had filed a court brief that held a legal view disagreeing with the judge's order. He had obeyed the judge's order by notifying local law enforcement agencies in an April 18 letter that they couldn't enforce the law while the court case proceeded, according to Uthmeier's court filings. 'There is no basis for contempt or sanctions,' Uthmeier said. 'Interpreting an order to prohibit a state attorney general from disagreeing with a federal order — while following it — would also be an extraordinary, first-of-its-kind assertion of federal judicial power, implicating grave constitutional concerns.' Attorneys for immigrants' rights groups that challenged the Florida law said it was unacceptable that the attorney general's letter 'encouraged arrests that he fully understood were specifically prohibited.' Even if Uthmeier's arguments are taken at face value, that he was merely stating his legal position, he has done nothing to clear up the confusion despite given ample opportunities, said lawyers for the immigrants' rights groups. They said the options the judge could consider include financial sanctions and referring Uthmeier's conduct to the Florida Bar for disciplinary proceedings or to federal authorities for prosecution. 'Considered objectively and in the context of the earlier letter, the Attorney General's second letter plainly undermined the notice he was directed to provide, and invited arrests which he knew would be violations of this court's order," the immigrants rights' lawyers said in court papers. "That is quintessential contempt of court.' Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Judge considers whether Florida Attorney General Uthmeier should be held in contempt over state immigration law
A federal judge was considering Thursday whether Florida's attorney general disobeyed her order prohibiting the enforcement of a new state law making it a misdemeanor for people in the U.S. illegally to enter Florida, and whether he should be held in contempt and sanctioned. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams specified in her ruling last month that her temporary restraining order against enforcing the Florida law applied to all of the state's local law enforcement agencies. The Miami judge later noted that there was a substantial likelihood that the Florida law would be found unconstitutional. But Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent out an April 23 letter to Florida's law enforcement agencies saying that he couldn't prevent law enforcement officers from enforcing the law "where there remains no judicial order that properly restrains you from doing so." "As set forth in the brief my office filed today, 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," Florida's attorney general said in the letter. Florida's immigration law has led to dozens of arrests Dozens of people, including a U.S. citizen, have been arrested under the law. Uthmeier has appealed the judge's order to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. In court papers, Uthmeier said that he was merely notifying local law enforcement agencies in the April 23 letter that he had filed a court brief that held a legal view disagreeing with the judge's order. He had obeyed the judge's order by notifying local law enforcement agencies in an April 18 letter that they couldn't enforce the law while the court case proceeded, according to Uthmeier's court filings. "There is no basis for contempt or sanctions," Uthmeier said. "Interpreting an order to prohibit a state attorney general from disagreeing with a federal order — while following it — would also be an extraordinary, first-of-its-kind assertion of federal judicial power, implicating grave constitutional concerns." But attorneys for an immigrants rights groups that challenged the Florida law said it was unacceptable that the Florida attorney general's April 23 letter "encouraged arrests that he fully understood were specifically prohibited." Florida's attorney general has only added to the confusion, opponents say Even if Uthmeier's arguments are taken at face value, that he was merely stating his legal position, he has done nothing to clear up the confusion despite given ample opportunities, said lawyers for the Florida Immigrant Coalition. They said the options the judge could consider include financial sanctions and referring Uthmeier's conduct to the Florida Bar for disciplinary proceedings or to federal authorities for prosecution. "Considered objectively and in the context of the earlier letter, the Attorney General's second letter plainly undermined the notice he was directed to provide, and invited arrests which he knew would be violations of this court's order," the immigrants rights' lawyers said in court papers. "That is quintessential contempt of court."
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Judge considers whether Florida's attorney general should be held in contempt over immigration law
A federal judge was considering Thursday whether Florida 's attorney general disobeyed her order prohibiting the enforcement of a new state law making it a misdemeanor for people in the U.S. illegally to enter Florida, and whether he should be held in contempt and sanctioned. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams specified in her ruling last month that her temporary restraining order against enforcing the Florida law applied to all of the state's local law enforcement agencies. The Miami judge later noted that there was a substantial likelihood that the Florida law would be found unconstitutional. But Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent out an April 23 letter to Florida's law enforcement agencies saying that he couldn't prevent law enforcement officers from enforcing the law 'where there remains no judicial order that properly restrains you from doing so.' 'As set forth in the brief my office filed today, 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,' Florida's attorney general said in the letter. Dozens of people, including a U.S. citizen, have been arrested under the law. Uthmeier has appealed the judge's order to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. In court papers, Uthmeier said that he was merely notifying local law enforcement agencies in the April 23 letter that he had filed a court brief that held a legal view disagreeing with the judge's order. He had obeyed the judge's order by notifying local law enforcement agencies in an April 18 letter that they couldn't enforce the law while the court case proceeded, according to Uthmeier's court filings. 'There is no basis for contempt or sanctions,' Uthmeier said. 'Interpreting an order to prohibit a state attorney general from disagreeing with a federal order — while following it — would also be an extraordinary, first-of-its-kind assertion of federal judicial power, implicating grave constitutional concerns.' But attorneys for an immigrants rights groups that challenged the Florida law said it was unacceptable that the Florida attorney general's April 23 letter 'encouraged arrests that he fully understood were specifically prohibited.' Even if Uthmeier's arguments are taken at face value, that he was merely stating his legal position, he has done nothing to clear up the confusion despite given ample opportunities, said lawyers for the Florida Immigrant Coalition. They said the options the judge could consider include financial sanctions and referring Uthmeier's conduct to the Florida Bar for disciplinary proceedings or to federal authorities for prosecution. 'Considered objectively and in the context of the earlier letter, the Attorney General's second letter plainly undermined the notice he was directed to provide, and invited arrests which he knew would be violations of this court's order," the immigrants rights' lawyers said in court papers. "That is quintessential contempt of court.' ___
