The Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, and other left-wing groups filed the lawsuit against the Florida governor and other state officials in Miami federal court on behalf of the Farmworker Association of Florida and others.
They claim the legislation DeSantis signed into law in May -- expanding requirements for businesses' E-Verify use and requiring hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a citizenship question on intake forms -- bolsters his migrant relocation program and limits social services for immigrants lacking permanent legal status.
The lawsuit specifically focuses on provisions that criminalize the transportation of individuals into Florida who may have entered the country illegally and have not been "inspected" by the federal government since. The complaint states it is unconstitutional for a state to unilaterally regulate federal immigration and subject people to criminal punishment without fair notice. It also asserts Florida's use of the term "inspection" is incoherent and unconstitutionally vague.
Harry Mihet, chief litigation counsel at Liberty Counsel, says these groups clearly do not like immigration laws.
"They denigrate their opponents as anti-immigration hate groups and try to shut down the debate and basically assert their position as the morally superior position," he observes. "Everyone else, they say, must be blacklisted and run off. It's truly a page from the Communist, Marxist playbook."
But Mihet is confident that the governor can withstand this legal challenge.
"Governor DeSantis has been challenged left and right every step of the way by groups like these, and he's got a pretty good and pretty strong track record in the courts on the policies that he has backed," the attorney notes. "If I were a betting man, my money would be on Governor DeSantis and on the Florida courts to recognize this lawsuit for the meritless effort that it is and to kick it out as such."
He also expects Liberty Counsel will get involved in the case in some fashion.
The governor's office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment about the lawsuit on Monday, but a spokesman for the governor's office has previously said the new law targets illegal immigration, not those who are in the U.S. legally.
