A record of immigration arrests follows Castillo from Miami Springs to Doral
As Miami Springs Police Chief Matthew Castillo prepares to take over the police department in Doral, state records show that during his tenure the small city of about 13,000 residents became Miami-Dade County’s second-most active municipality in immigration enforcement, carrying out over a dozen immigration-related arrests through its partnership with federal authorities.
Castillo, who is expected to assume leadership of the Doral Police Department in mid-June, is stepping into a department that serves one of South Florida’s largest immigrant communities, including a significant Venezuelan population.
Doral, with a much larger population than Miami Springs at 83,000 residents, has become a focal point in the region’s immigration landscape, with residents representing a wide range of immigration statuses, including people with pending asylum claims, recipients of humanitarian protections and others affected by recent changes in federal immigration policy.
Like Miami Springs, Doral has entered into a federal 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under the program, some police officers are deputized to carry out some immigration enforcement actions.. However, it remains unclear whether any Doral officers have completed the federal training required to exercise immigration-enforcement authority under the program. State records currently show no immigration arrests, or even immigration encounters, by Doral police.
In contrast, the Miami Springs Police Department reported 75 immigration-related encounters between August and May, resulting in 50 arrests, according to data compiled by the Florida Board of Immigration Enforcement. Sixteen of those were classified as immigration arrests, placing the city among the most active municipalities in Florida under the federal 287(g) program despite its relatively small population.
READ MORE: How a tiny police force in Miami-Dade posted big immigration arrest numbers
When the Miami Herald asked Doral’s five elected officials whether Castillo’s appointment could lead to changes in policing practices, two members and the mayor said they don’t expect the department’s approach to change.
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga said Castillo’s appointment should not be interpreted as a signal that the city intends to alter its approach to immigration enforcement.
“We are not changing any of our principles and practices at all,” Fraga said.
She said the immigration-related activity reported in Miami Springs reflects challenges unique to that city, including crime and homelessness involving undocumented individuals, rather than a model Doral intends to replicate.
Fraga also noted that Castillo led a smaller department with fewer resources, requiring him to take on broader operational responsibilities than he likely will in Doral.
However, Doral Councilwoman Maureen Porras said she was surprised by the volume of immigration arrests reported in Miami Springs.
“I wasn’t expecting immigration enforcement to be such a priority for a city that small,” Porras told the Herald. “I would expect that the chief would align with the will of our City Council, which is not to use the [287(g)] contract as a tool to arrest anyone solely based on suspected lack of immigration status.”
Porras, who is an immigration attorney, added that she expects the Doral Police Department, which has not reported any immigration arrests under its 287(g) agreement, to continue operating under that approach after Castillo’s arrival.
Doral Councilman Rafael Pineyro said he does not expect Castillo’s appointment to alter the department’s priorities and emphasized that local policing should remain focused on public safety rather than immigration status.
“The primary function of the Doral Police Department is to serve the best interests of the community and enforce the law,” Pineyro said. He added that traffic enforcement, crime prevention and other routine police duties would continue regardless of who leads the department.
Immigration status should not become the primary focus of local law enforcement, he added.
“The goal is to keep crime rates low without making immigration status the primary target,” he said. “That has never been, nor will it ever be, the function of the Doral Police Department.”
Castillo was selected by Doral City Manager Zeida Sardiñas to become the city’s next police chief, with the support of Fraga, although the City Council must still approve his employment agreement at its June 10 meeting. The proposed agreement includes an annual salary of approximately $240,000 — a substantial increase from the roughly $154,500 Castillo currently earns as Miami Springs police chief.
Asked for comment, Doral Vice Mayor Digna Cabral told the Herald it is premature to speculate on possible changes to policies or procedures before engaging in direct dialogue with Castillo, adding that the issue will be addressed during discussions related to his contractual agreement.
Councilwoman Nicole Reinoso did not respond to the Herald’s request for comment.
A record shaped in Miami Springs
Castillo arrives in Doral after leading a department that became one of Florida’s most active local participants in immigration enforcement.
Among Miami-Dade municipalities, only Sunny Isles Beach, a city of just over 22,000 residents, reported more immigration arrests, 32, during the same August-to-May period.
When asked if he would seek to expand immigration enforcement in Doral, Castillo told the Miami Herald it is all “hypothetical” because he isn’t yet Doral’s chief of police.
“What I can say is that my approach to policing has always been centered on public safety, professionalism and community trust,” he said. “My focus is always going to be on reducing crime, protecting residents and maintaining strong relationships with the community while enforcing the law fairly and professionally.”
Miami Springs is second only to Sunny Isles Beach in the number of immigration arrests among Miami-Dade municipalities between August and May, according to state records. In South Florida, Miami Springs is third after
During the same period, the Miami Police Department, which serves a city of more than 487,000 residents, recorded 451 immigration-related encounters, but only one resulted in an immigration arrest; the others led to arrests on state or local criminal charges, according to Florida records.
The contrast is even more pronounced when compared with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, which serves a county of roughly 2.8 million residents. The agency reported 147 immigration-related encounters in the same August-May period, but only six immigration arrests. Most of the remaining cases resulted in state or local criminal charges.
Castillo attributes much of Miami Springs’ police activity to what he calls a proactive policing strategy concentrated along the Northwest 36th Street corridor near Miami International Airport, an area lined with hotels, motels and transportation-related businesses that generates a disproportionate share of calls for service.
According to Castillo, between 40% and 60% of the city’s calls for service originated in that corridor, where officers focused on repeat offenders, narcotics activity, organized retail theft, violent crime and other issues identified through crime data and community complaints.
“Our enforcement efforts in that area were driven entirely by crime trends, repeat offenders, narcotics activity, organized theft, and violent crime concerns identified through data and community complaints,” Castillo said.
He rejected the characterization that Miami Springs engaged in immigration sweeps or targeted undocumented immigrants because of their status. Instead, he said immigration-related arrests were typically the result of broader criminal investigations.
“When officers respond to criminal incidents — whether it’s human trafficking concerns, narcotics, fraud, stolen vehicles, fugitives, or other criminal matters — immigration-related encounters can naturally occur as part of that process,” he said.
Immigration questions remain unresolved
What remains unclear is how Doral’s relationship with federal immigration authorities could evolve once Castillo formally takes office.
Castillo has not committed to expanding officer participation in ICE-related training or changing the city’s approach to its 287(g) agreement, saying those decisions would require further evaluation. Still, his public comments have consistently emphasized a crime-first approach to policing.
“My philosophy has always been that law enforcement focuses on criminal activity — not immigration status,” Castillo said.
He also noted that Doral presents a markedly different policing environment than Miami Springs.
Unlike Miami Springs, Doral lacks the motel corridors near Miami International Airport that generated a large share of police activity and shaped many of the enforcement strategies employed there. Because of those differences, Castillo said, direct comparisons between the two cities are difficult.
“My goal is not to come in and reinvent what is already working well, but to build on that success,” he said.
A chief's discretion can shape enforcement
Advocates who oppose local participation in federal immigration enforcement say the role of a police chief can be pivotal in determining how aggressively such agreements are used.
Alana Greer, an attorney and director of the Community Justice Project, a nonprofit legal organization that has opposed 287 (g) and local immigration enforcements, argues that police leaders often wield more influence over immigration-enforcement partnerships than elected officials.
“In many cases, police chiefs actually have more power than city commissions or mayors because of the way Florida law is written,” Greer said. “The law says local governments cannot prohibit police from participating, but police leaders still have significant discretion over whether they choose to become immigration enforcers. It’s clear that in Miami Springs, they made that choice.”
Whether Castillo’s arrival ultimately results in more immigration-related enforcement in Doral remains an open question.
While Miami Springs became one of Miami-Dade County’s most active local partners in federal immigration enforcement under his leadership, Doral has yet to report a single immigration arrest under its own 287(g) agreement. How the city uses that authority moving forward will likely be closely watched by residents, immigrant advocacy groups and local officials alike.
