A federal judge in Florida has scaled back a statewide injunction against a state law criminalizing the transport of unauthorized immigrants, ruling Wednesday that it should protect only the specific plaintiffs who proved harm, not all Floridians.
U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman of the Southern District of Florida tweaked his May order blocking Section 10 of Senate Bill 1718, saying a broader scope oversteps judicial bounds.
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The lawsuit, filed in July 2023 by the Farmworker Association of Florida Inc. and seven individuals, challenged the felony provision—enacted under Gov. Ron DeSantis—which targets those transporting uninspected migrants into Florida.
The plaintiffs, including the association and individuals like Andrea Mendoza Hinojosa, Carmenza Aragon, and Maria Medrano Rios, argued it disrupted their work and lives, forcing resource shifts and stoking arrest fears. Altman agreed last year that federal immigration law preempts the state statute, halting its enforcement statewide.
But after Florida officials pushed back, calling the injunction too sweeping, Altman recalibrated. Citing Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s stance in Labrador v. Poe—which curbed broad injunctions—he ruled that relief must match the plaintiffs’ proven injuries, not hypothetical third parties.
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“Judicial power exists only to redress injury to the complaining party,” Altman wrote, narrowing the injunction to the named plaintiffs with standing.
The plaintiffs had defended the statewide block, arguing it ensures federal immigration consistency without the pitfalls of nationwide injunctions. Florida countered that it’s still overly universal, flouting equitable relief norms.
Altman split the difference: statewide injunctions aren’t identical to nationwide ones but should still be tailored. He brushed off fears of litigation chaos as a “feature” of federalism, not a flaw, and deemed broader risks “speculative.”
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The revised order now shields only the Farmworker Association and the three named individuals from S.B. 1718’s enforcement. Neither side commented Wednesday, but the ruling—rooted in legal precision—leaves Florida’s migrant transport crackdown in limbo for others, potentially sparking more courtroom battles ahead.
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