Doral mayor says city can't stop ICE operations as businesses report 70% drop in sales

Doral Mayor Christi Fraga is responding to business owners who say increased immigration enforcement activity in the city is frightening customers and workers and taking a significant toll on their businesses.

ICE agents were seen Wednesday in different areas of Doral, a city with a large immigrant population. A local social media platform reported that agents detained people at a gas station near Northwest 41st Street and 107th Avenue.

Nearby business owners say the presence of immigration agents is having an immediate economic impact.

"ICE agents have been very close to our area, on 107th Avenue. People are scared to come out. It's affecting us," said Katia Rios of Pipo Burgers.

Rios said the business has experienced a dramatic decline in customers.

"Our sales have dropped 70%. We spend hours empty," she said.

Fraga told CBS News Miami that she understands the concerns but said local governments have no authority to prevent federal immigration agents from conducting enforcement operations within their cities.

"I don't agree with the way things are handled," Fraga said.

"This is federal law. We cannot impede the federal ICE agents from coming into the cities and doing their enforcement, whether we agree or not," she added.

Before dusk Wednesday, cellphone video captured another arrest by agents in Doral, this time in the middle of traffic.

Fraga said the city does not receive advance notice when federal immigration agents conduct operations within Doral.

"No, the city is not notified when they are in our city," she said.

For some business owners, the impact extends beyond declining sales.

"We want to see action," said Angelica Yepez, co-owner of a restaurant, who said she is now down to one employee after losing six workers who feared being detained despite having applied for political asylum.

Yepez said she wants city leaders to meet directly with affected business owners and explain what, if anything, local officials can do.

"I want the mayor and elected officials to meet with us and tell us, 'This is what we can do,'" Yepez said.

The concern is also being felt by businesses outside Doral.

Miguel Angel Flores owns a food truck near the city and said he, too, has been affected by the fear surrounding immigration enforcement. Holding back tears, Flores said, "I'd like to be out in the streets and not be scared."

Some business owners told CBS News Miami they do not believe letters and emails from city officials are enough.

Fraga said the city's efforts go beyond written correspondence.

"It's not just emails and letters. There are phone calls being made," she said. "We are doing what we can to have conversations. I know it's a very difficult time. I recognize it."

Doral's demographics make immigration enforcement an especially significant issue for the community. Census data show a large majority of the city's population is foreign-born, while Venezuelans make up a substantial portion of its residents.

For business owners like Rios and Yepez, the concern is not only about immigration enforcement itself, but also about what happens when customers and workers become too afraid to leave their homes.

As ICE enforcement continues in and around Doral, they are asking city leaders for more direct assistance — while the mayor says the city's ability to intervene in federal immigration operations is limited.