The City of Doral has voted unanimously to approve an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), allowing local police officers to assist with immigration enforcement through the federal 287(g) program.
The decision, made Wednesday night, drew tension and emotional debate during the city council meeting, particularly in a community where nearly 83% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino.
Doral, located in Miami-Dade County, is home to a large and diverse Hispanic community, with a particularly notable Venezuelan presence. Due to this significant Venezuelan population, the city is often referred to as “Doralzuela.”
The new agreement enables the Doral Police Department to receive training in immigration enforcement tasks and cooperate directly with ICE, under a program that effectively deputizes local officers. These officers will be allowed to detain individuals suspected of being in the country illegally and hold them for ICE processing.
Following the vote, Doral Mayor Christi Fraga acknowledged the measure was controversial but defended the council’s decision. “This is a tough resolution, because it is an obligation we have to comply with the law,” she told 7News. She sought to ease fears among residents, adding, “So I can’t take a percentage of my police department and turn them into immigration officers, and that’s not the intent here. 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 echoed that message: “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.”
The agreement comes amid growing pressure from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is urging all local law enforcement agencies to collaborate with ICE and support President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement plans. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has also warned that municipalities refusing to comply with such agreements could be considered “sanctuary” jurisdictions—now illegal under Florida law.
Doral joins dozens of cities across Florida that have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE, including nearby Coral Gables, Hialeah, Miami Springs, and West Miami. Campus police departments at several Florida universities, including Florida International University, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, and Florida Atlantic University, have also entered into similar agreements or requested to do so.
The growing list of participants includes all 67 counties in Florida, making it increasingly difficult for municipalities to opt out. In Fort Myers, for example, the city council initially rejected the agreement but reversed course once it was made clear by the state that rejecting 287(g) was not legally viable.
“Preventing a local law enforcement agency from entering into a 287(g) agreement with the federal government prevents that agency from participating in certain federal immigration operations,” Uthmeier said in March.
In Jacksonville, Democratic Mayor Donna Deegan allowed a similar measure to become law without signing it, stating, “Allowing it to become law without my signature does not impede law enforcement nor prevent them from doing their job in any way. It does keep my name from being attached to something that creates a sense of fear in immigrants living here lawfully.”
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