Former lawmakers, advocates urge Doral to end ICE agreement amid fears over immigration enforcement

Former lawmakers and immigrant rights advocates came together Tuesday to call on the city of Doral to end its police agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The agreement, known as 287(g), gives local police departments a role in federal immigration enforcement. Similar agreements are also in effect in other South Florida cities.

The city of Doral has said it had no choice but to sign the agreement, but those who gathered outside Doral City Hall Tuesday morning disagreed.

"A city made literally from the blood and sweat of Hispanics … an entire city council voted to participate in cruelty," former U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia said.

ICE operations spark fear among Doral residents, businesses

The calls come as people continue to post on social media about ICE operations in Doral, where about 70% of the population is foreign-born.

Some businesses have reported seeing sales decline by as much as 70%, which they attribute to people being afraid to leave their homes amid immigration enforcement operations. The group that gathered Tuesday said fear surrounding ICE operations has led to fewer people on the streets and inside local businesses.

Doral Mayor Christi Fraga told CBS News Miami last week that the city does not control federal immigration operations and cannot stop ICE agents from enforcing federal law.

"This is federal law," Fraga said. "We cannot impede the federal ICE agents from coming into cities and enforcing their … doing their enforcement whether we agree with how it's being done or not."

South Miami mayor says cities don't have to sign 287(g) agreements

South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez, whose city did not enter into a 287(g) agreement, said he believes cities were pressured by state officials in Tallahassee to sign the agreements or potentially face consequences.

"I'm here today to tell the leadership of cities, not just Doral, but across Miami-Dade County that have signed or may sign a 287(g) agreement that it doesn't have to be this way," Fernandez said.

South Miami has not signed a 287(g) agreement, and Fernandez said the city has not faced repercussions for that decision.

Garcia criticized Doral officials over their decision to participate in the federal immigration enforcement program.

"They could have chosen to have compassion, and they chose to be cruel," Garcia said. "And now, when the chickens come home to roost, 'I had no idea. That had nothing to do with me.' Well, that's not true."

The city of Miami has also faced calls to end its 287(g) agreement.

Doral mayor responds to calls to end ICE agreement

In a statement Tuesday, Fraga responded to the calls to repeal the city's 287(g) resolution, saying Doral officials are "heartbroken to see families in our community suffering" and have advocated with the federal government on their behalf.

Fraga said repealing the resolution would not change federal immigration law or enforcement policy and argued that the city must follow existing federal and state laws while advocating for changes when officials disagree with them.

"The pain and uncertainty the people of South Florida are feeling should not be used to score political points or to make Doral the face of a national immigration crisis that this City did not create and does not have the authority to solve," Fraga said.

Fraga also said Doral would continue to "protect and serve every person in our community," while maintaining that protecting residents and complying with the law are not mutually exclusive.