Hialeah Police will now help federal and state agencies detain undocumented immigrants.
During a meeting on Tuesday, the city counsel gave approval for Mayor Esteban Bovo to enter into a partnership agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Six members voted in favor of the partnership agreement, one member was absent.
Under the federal 287(g) agreement, Hialeah Police officers will gain the authority to stop, interrogate and arrest individuals suspected of violating immigration laws.
The 287(g) program allows state and local law enforcement to collaborate with (ICE) in detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants.
Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a statewide expansion of immigration enforcement, granting all 67 county sheriffs the authority to act as federal immigration agents under the 287(g) program.
Residents express concern
Some residents who spoke at the meeting said they were concerned about entering the partnership because it would cause mistrust in the community.
“My message is do not talk to the police. They took an oath to the Constitution to not violate your rights, which is the Fourth Amendment, okay do not talk to the police. Don’t talk to ICE, don’t talk to any police officer, okay, because they’re trying to incriminate you, to put you away, to take you away from your family,” Juan Santana said.
It remains to be seen how the agreement will be enforced. When one commissioner asked Hialeah Police Chief George Fuentes if officers would be asking for immigration paperwork when they pull someone over, he replied no.
City officials try to calm fears
City officials said they don’t want immigrants to fear the police.
Bovo said the police will just be providing support to ICE agents and they will not be conducting raids at churches.
“The police department and Hialeah are here to serve them. If they run into a situation where they need the police, do not hesitate to call police and fire if that is warranted. I think that’s the first and most important thing to do. Number two is, if you are here illegally, do not violate the law. Very important. You’ve already violated the law coming to this country, so I would say be as quiet as a church mouse, that way police don’t have to go and knock on your door for some issue,” he said.
Once a sanctuary for Cubans escaping economic and political oppression, CBS News Miami partner The Miami Herald reports that the city has been wrestling with the presence of new immigrants from Cuba and elsewhere in Latin America.
In 2024, Bovo claimed as many as 80,000 Cubans had arrived in Hialeah over the last two years, straining the city’s resources.
Hialeah is the second city in Miami-Dade to enter such an agreement with the federal government. The Coral Gables Police Department recently signed a similar agreement.
