DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - Immigration advocates came together outside Doral City Hall to protest the city’s partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Some attendees at Wednesday morning’s gathering said the law enforcement partnership is turning Doral, a city with a large Venezuelan population, into a ghost town.
The city’s 287(g) agreement authorizes local police to perform certain immigration enforcement functions under ICE supervision.
The activists came to Doral’s City Council meeting on Wednesday with nearly 200 signatures from people who demand the city’s partnership come to an end.
“Despite what the misleading statements from state officials have said, they are free to leave this agreement, and the governor, despite his threats, does not have the authority to remove municipal officials for doing so,” said Sam Lester with ACLU Florida.
The city entered the agreement in 2025, but immigration attorneys said the move was never required.
“The Florida Statute section 908.11 states that only certain entities or officials are required to enter a 287(g) agreement, and the City of Doral is unequivocally not one of them,” said Jeanette Infante, an attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Some of the protesters told 7News that they met with Doral Mayor Christi Fraga earlier this week to discuss ending the agreement.
“We met with Mayor Fraga a couple of days ago. We appreciate the conversation; it was in good faith, but ultimately it has led to inaction. Nothing has come out of it of consequence to the community, so we’re here to reiterate those consequences and scenarios for exit out of this harmful agreement,” said Thomas Kennedy, Policy Analyst with the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
Residents speaking during public comments said one of these consequences has been a substantial decline in local business.
“Local family-owned businesses are reporting drops in sales as high as 70% because fearful residents are refusing to leave their homes. Several restaurant owners have noted massive staff shortages after employees fled or stayed home out of fear of detention,” said a speaker.
Residents said they have never seen the city so empty in all of their years living there, as they say people are afraid to be outside in fear of being deported.
“I have never seen the city so desolate, so empty and residents so scared,” said Doral resident Liz Rebecca Alercon.
“The people of Doral need local police they can trust, not roving immigration patrol,” said Lester.
Residents and activists present at the protest are hopeful to see some progress made.
Fraga told 7News that she wants residents to know they are safe and protected under her leadership. She also said the city entered the agreement under legal advice that it was required, and she’s submitted a letter to the State Attorney’s office demanding clarification.
She also added that, despite the agreement to partner with ICE, the city’s policing practices have not fundamentally changed.
“There is factual information directly from [Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s] website that our police has not collaborated and actually we did not go through the training,” said Fraga. “We don’t want to see families in our community hurt, especially people who are following the process.”
Doral’s police chief chimed in with his own assurances that his department is not actively enforcing immigration and their policing policies have not changed as a result of the 287(g) agreement.
“We don’t enforce immigration at all, we don’t even have officers that are trained to do that. Yes we signed the agreement, but even if we rescinded the agreement, nothing would change as far as us enforcing the law,” said Doral Police Chief Matthew Castillo.
He added that it’s become a point for his officers to do additional public outreach to make that clarification for concerned residents.
“There’s a social media attack, lot of misinformation that’s being put out on social media and I’m telling officers to do more community engagement so we can combat some of that misinformation that’s being put on social media right now,” said Castillo.
Doral is not the only South Florida city facing pressure to end the agreement. Last month, around a dozen organizers gathered outside Miami City Hall to push Mayor Eileen Higgins to drop out of the program as well.
The 287(g) agreement was not discussed during Wednesday evening’s meeting. There’s also no indication city officials plan to back out of the agreement.
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