Florida city that immigrants built just turned its back on them with 287(g) vote | Opinion

One of Miami’s most unique features is that it was proudly and undeniably built by waves of immigrants and refugees. The process, begun with Cuban exiles in the early 1960s, is now part of our DNA. Nearly 60% of Miami residents are foreign-born.

Cubans were joined by Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelan refugees. Mexicans, Argentines, Colombians and even Guyanese have all sought out Miami as their new beginning. They came fleeing tyranny and political strife or simply searching for a better life for themselves and their children. The idea was simple: just make it to Miami — where so many like you already lived — and you’d be okay. The city wasn’t just a destination. It was a promise.

We’ve always taken pride in being a melting pot, the gateway to Latin America, a place where you could hear several languages on any street corner. Miami sheltered entire generations of immigrants. The city just didn’t tolerate immigration — it became synonymous with the word.

But that ended Tuesday, with the Miami City Commission’s controversial vote to enter into an agreement to help ICE arrest undocumented immigrants within the city limits. The 287(g) agreement allows local officers to act in immigration enforcement roles — a move critics say fuels fear and distrust in immigrant communities and places city police in roles better suited to federal agents.

All 67 counties in Florida have signed agreements with ICE. But Miami? This one hits differently.

Voting “no” on the measure where Commissioners Christine King and Damian Pardo; Commissioners Joe Carollo, Miguel Gabela and the newly elected Ralph Rosado voted “yes.”

King and Pardo deserve praise for standing up for their constituents. The irony is, all of the commissioners are immigrants or the children of immigrants. They are living proof of what Miami represents — which makes their vote all the more disappointing.

And they did it over the objections of more than 75 residents who lined up outside City Hall early Tuesday, many pleading with the commission not to sign on with ICE, even though other immigrant-heavy cities like Doral and Hialeah have already done so.

We understand the commission is under pressure. Earlier this year, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to punish the Fort Myers city council if they declined to join the program. Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales clearly laid out those concerns at the meeting: the department fears political fallout, he said.

“There’s a very strong inference that if we do not enter into this agreement, there would certainly be some sort of repercussion,” Morales told commissioners. It would’ve been nice if the commission had shown some independent spunk. But they didn’t.

And they also ignored King’s moving words: “We are all immigrants,” said King, the daughter of Guyanese parents. She said she felt the fear some Miami’s residents are experiencing. “I don’t want to be a part of that.” And she wasn’t with her “no” vote.

Mayor Francis Suarez — the son of Cuban immigrants — could veto the vote, but there is no hint that will happen.

Under the agreement, Miami police officers will be trained to act as immigration agents, turning traffic stops and routine policing into potential deportation triggers. It’s well-known that partnerships like these have sparked fear and distrust in cities across the country. Victims stop reporting crimes. Parents pull their kids from school. People avoid hospitals.

As one protester put it, this vote is a “cultural betrayal.” It turns the city’s back on our neighbors, the workers who clean our buildings, serve our food, work our fields and care for our kids and grandparents. Outsiders may have complained that the city was full of foreigners, but we who live here know how that enriches our city.

We knew what it meant to flee. To rebuild. And for a long time, we believed our leaders remembered that, too.

But on Tuesday, they looked away.

Immigrants will still shape Miami’s future. But its government no longer reflects, respects or represents the refugee spirit that helped define Miami. What a shame.

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