On Wednesday, U.S.-born American citizen Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez was arrested by Florida Highway Patrol and held in Leon County Jail for over 24 hours. At a hearing on Thursday, a Leon County judge said she “did not have jurisdiction” to release him. In response, the Florida Democratic Party issued the following statement:  

“The state of Florida violated a federal court order to kidnap an American,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried. “Earlier this week, Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez was wrongfully detained by Florida Highway Patrol following a traffic stop and thrown into jail.

“It appears he was detained on the basis of one of Florida’s new immigration laws — but the courts blocked the state from enforcing that law and deemed it unconstitutional. So it begs the question, has Ron DeSantis instructed a state agency to ignore a federal court order? Where does the lawlessness of this administration stop? If this can happen to an American born citizen, it can happen to any of us. 

“If local law enforcement have been directed to defy court orders and ask questions later — none of us are safe. Ron DeSantis owes all Floridians an explanation on how a U.S. citizen was arrested and detained for 24 hours — he has to answer for that.”