Federal Court to Hear Arguments in Lawsuit Challenging Florida’s Anti-Immigrant Law SB 1718

WHAT: A federal court in Miami will hear arguments in The Farmworker Association of Florida, Inc. et al v. DeSantis et al, filed in July 2023 by immigrants’ rights advocates who are challenging SB 1718, Florida’s new anti-immigrant law. 

The lawsuit focuses on the provisions outlined in Section 10 of the law, which criminalizes the transportation of individuals into Florida who may have entered the country unlawfully and have not been “inspected” by the federal government since. The complaint states that it is unconstitutional for a state to unilaterally regulate federal immigration and subject people to criminal punishment without fair notice and that Florida’s use of the term  “inspection” is incoherent and unconstitutionally vague.

The case was filed against Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Florida Statewide Prosecutor Nicholas B. Cox and the attorneys general for all 20 Florida Judicial Circuits, on behalf of the Farmworker Association of Florida and various impacted individuals.

WHO: The Southern Poverty Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida, Americans for Immigrant Justice and American Immigration Council represent the Farmworker Association of Florida and various impacted individuals, including U.S. citizens and undocumented drivers and passengers who routinely travel into and out of Florida.

WHEN: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 2 PM ET

WHERE: Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Courthouse, 400 North Miami Avenue, Courtroom 12-4, Miami, Florida 33128

Court information: https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/miami-courthouses

A copy of the complaint can be found here.

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For More Information: Contact Brianna Dimas at [email protected], (202) 507-7557