In chaotic, shameful scene, Miami-Dade commissioners watch public speaker dragged out | Opinion

The chaotic scene that broke out Thursday at the Miami-Dade commission meeting should concern everyone who still believes in open government.

A local resident identified as Camila Ramos, 36, was forcibly dragged from the meeting by Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputies after attempting to ask a question about the immigration enforcement agreement between Miami-Dade and ICE, a volatile topic, especially in South Florida.

It was a shocking moment: scuffles, pleas to be allowed to speak, the crowd chanting “Let her speak” as Ramos was dragged along the floor of the chamber and out the door by multiple law enforcement officers. Many members of the public held up their phones to video the appalling spectacle.

It’s also a flashing red warning light. Miami-Dade and other Florida elected officials are acting increasingly inaccessible. Public input, which should be at the heart of our government, seems to be eyed with increasing suspicion or outright hostility.

Ramos wasn’t threatening anyone. Yes, she was an opponent of the agreement. But she merely asked a question about her right to speak after Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez said he would end future public comment if anyone spoke. How does that warrant dragging her out of the room?

“I just asked a question!” Ramos pleaded, as she was grabbed and hustled out.

“I have a right to understand this process,” she pleaded. She’s right. We’d like to understand it, too.

Some commissioners wanted the speakers to be heard. Others explained that the agreement with ICE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — wasn’t on the agenda, or at least they didn’t think so. The confusion helped increase the temperature in the room.

But clamping down on public speech with violence is a serious and dangerous thing to do. It wasn’t just Ramos being taken from that room — it was the public’s right to participate.

Thursday’s episode is part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern: Politicians in Miami and in Florida seem to be making it harder for constituents to come in front of them to be heard. Public town halls and open forums are dwindling. Comment times in public meetings are short. The shift reflects a fear of confrontation — but in dodging conflict, our leaders are also dodging accountability.

We’ve seen Miami city commissioners sit through public hearings with little interest in what is being said by the public. The hearings usually end with a vote where elected officials do exactly what they were going to do before the public spoke. Public comments are treated as little more than a show — and constituents know it.

What happened Thursday wasn’t just a breakdown in communication. It was a silencing of debate. The commission had already moved to defer a vote on a new ICE jail agreement, a cooperation agreement that Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava had signed. (It is now mandated by state law.)

Rodriguez told those who signed up to speak on the topic that they could — but this time only. If the matter ever returned for a vote, Rodriguez said there would be no further public comment. That’s confusing — none at all, ever? — and seems strangely punitive. Ramos was, understandably, seeking clarification. And that’s when she was dragged out.

The item on the agenda Thursday was a modification of county-ICE agreement that included reimbursement provisions for inmates held at Miami-Dade jails when they are sought for deportation.

The agreement raises concerns about due process, public records and the potential for people to disappear into an immigration abyss. Yet instead of listening, the Miami-Dade commission met simple questioning with brute authority. And we didn’t see or hear anyone from the dais calling for calmer heads to prevail.

For the average citizen, standing at a microphone during public comment may be their only shot at being heard. But, on Thursday, that right was denied and punished.

The Miami-Dade commission may think it enforced its control on the chamber, but what it really did was show the public just how far removed it has become from the people it claims to serve.

Click here to send the letter.

This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 5:21 PM.