The City of Doral has cast a unanimous vote to approve a police partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The city council's decision aligns Doral with a state mandate that demands local law enforcement agencies to assist in immigration enforcement, as reported by CBS Miami and 7News. This measure has drawn scrutiny given the large Venezuelan immigrant population in Doral, and it took place against the backdrop of a contentious city council meeting where council members grilled Police Chief Edwin Lopez over the implications of the new agreement, while Mayor Christi Fraga defended the enforcement measure, emphasizing the city's commitment to lawful immigrants.
The agreement allows Doral police to carry out certain immigration enforcement tasks under the 287(g) program, which deputizes state and local law enforcement to perform limited immigration officer duties, although the primary focus, according to Chief Lopez, does not involve questioning individuals about their immigration status, a fact noted during the council meeting, "I respond not only to your questions but to the questions that we get every single day," he affirmed in a statement obtained by CBS Miami. Councilwoman Digna Cabral, who aimed for clarity during the meeting was interrupted, leading to an exchange with the police chief, an episode that highlighted the tensions and concerns rippling through the city hall.
Mayor Fraga assured that while the law must be followed, the local police force will not transform into immigration officers, as she elaborated in an interview with 7News, "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." Meanwhile, Councilman Rafael Pineyro voiced his hope that the Trump administration will reconsider their decision on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, a community particularly at risk by the measure.
The city's partnership with ICE has sparked unease among its immigrant community, especially given Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's pressing for stronger ties between local law enforcement and ICE, to enforce mass deportation plans, activists express their concerns about the potential for heightened fears and the prospect of Venezuelan residents, many of whom may lose TPS, being sent back to troubled homelands as President of the Miami-Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus Abel S. Delgado put it, "We cannot send our neighbors, our family members, children back to these dictatorships and to this anarchy," as detailed by 7News. Doral now joins a list of more than 100 Florida localities with similar agreements with ICE, adding to a contentious statewide dialogue on immigration enforcement and community relations.
