The City of Doral approved an agreement with Immigration Customs and Enforcement to crack down on undocumented immigrants living in the city.
The agreement allows the Doral Police Department to carry out certain immigration enforcement tasks under the 287(g) program, which allows state and local agencies to act as immigration officials.
Wednesday night’s vote came after tense conversation — and at times bickering– between council members and law enforcement officials.
“The men and woman behind me…” said Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez.
“I’m going to cut you [off], please,” said councilwoman Digna Cabral. “I’m not here to attack anyone. I’m just here…”
“No, none of us are,” said Lopez.
Lopez also wondered about the next steps that comes with the agreement.
“I haven’t had any communication with any supervisory staff from ICE regarding this item. The primary focus of our officers, during encounters with citizens, does not involve questioning regarding their immigration status,” he said. “We are here to serve and protect each and every person in this community, regardless of their immigration status.”
Following the vote, Doral Mayor Christi Fraga told 7News it was a measure that had to pass.
“This is a tough resolution, because it is an obligation we have to comply with the law,” she said.
But the mayor wanted to calm some residents’ fears that local police officers will suddenly become ICE agents.
“So I can’t take a percentage of my police department and turn them into immigration officers, and that’s not the intent here,” she said. “There will be training that has to happen, so if they encounter a situation, they know how to handle it, and I think it’s good for them to have training.”
Doral Vice Mayor Maureen Porras also reiterated a similar sentiment prior to the vote.
“We want to make sure that we are complying with federal and also state mandates. Our attorney has advised us that this is an agreement that we have to enter into,” she said.
The passage of the measure comes amid mounting pressure from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who wants to see all local law enforcement agencies join forces with ICE to enforce President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans.
However, the potential partnership with ICE is not sitting well with many immigrant families who live in the city.
Pro-immigration activists say this will heighten fears among an already anxious community, especially among Venezuelans, who stand at risk of losing their temporary protected status.
“We cannot send our neighbors, our family members, children back to these dictatorships and to this anarchy,” said Abel S. Delgado, President of the Miami-Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus.
Still, some in the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, support removing the temporary status.
In a batch of newly released court documents filed by the Trump administration, as they appealed a judge’s ruling that blocked TPS termination, a letter from Rubio from January read in part:
“Designating Venezuela under 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(1) does not champion core American interests or put America and American citizens first, therefore it is contrary to the foreign policy and the national interest of the United States.”
Rafael Pineyro, a Venezuelan-American councilman, said he hopes the Trump administration reconsiders their decision on TPS.
“I hope that not only this administration, as I have been moving forward with different resolutions, considers giving an alternative, an opportunity to law-abiding Venezuelans that are here in the country doing the right things, which is the majority of them,” he said.
Doral now joins more than 100 localities across Florida that have agreements with ICE, including many in South Florida, such as Coral Gables, Hialeah, Miami Springs and West Miami.
Activists in Coral Gables denounced the move when it was announced.
“City police should have no role in immigration enforcement,” said Community Justice Project member Alana Greer.
Just this week, campus police at Florida International University also joined the list. The decision leaves many students who attend the university on edge.
“Many students here are immigrants or have parents who are immigrants, undocumented, and I feel that many of those detained deserve a chance and opportunity to study here,” said a student.
The resolution remains vague, and the details on how it will be implemented still need to be discussed.