Florida, Other States Sue Over Immigration Enforcement

Tallahassee, FL (NSF) – Florida, Alabama and Georgia filed a federal lawsuit Monday alleging that the Biden administration is not properly deporting undocumented immigrants who commit crimes. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr filed the 24-page lawsuit in the federal Northern District of Alabama. It alleges that the Biden administration has violated a law known as the Administrative Procedure Act by not properly deporting criminals. “It (the Biden administration) claims the discretion to decide for itself which aliens should be arrested, detained and removed, even if its policy preferences directly conflict with the clear commands of Congress,” the lawsuit said. “And it has used that claimed discretion to allow illegal immigrants guilty of drug trafficking, burglary and other serious crimes to return to our communities upon release from state custody rather than arresting and removing them as federal law requires.” Moody also has filed other lawsuits about Biden administration immigration policies, including a case that is pending in federal court in Pensacola. In December, Moody’s office dropped an appeal in another case, saying it was moot because of changes in policies. This comes days after Governor Ron DeSantis blamed the murders of Terry and Brenda Aultman on President Joe Biden because the killer, Jean Macean, is an alleged illegal immigrant from Haiti. DeSantis also tried to go after the State Attorney’s Office after he found out they dropped a series of drug-related charges against Macean in 2020. It was never made clear why. News Daytona Beach’s Sean Mooney contributed to this report.