Doral City Attorney Lorenzo Cobiella has kept a council member’s proposal to discuss the city’s 287(g) agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement off the City Council agenda indefinitely, according to Miami New Times. Cobiella said the state government could punish the city if it moved to end the pact.
Councilmember Maureen Porras proposed the discussion. The 287(g) agreement formalizes Doral’s cooperation with ICE operations. Porras told New Times that Cobiella’s reasoning lacked justification and that she is “looking at legal options.”
In emails obtained by New Times, Cobiella gave several reasons for delaying the item. He cited a city ordinance requiring items with a fiscal impact to be submitted two weeks before a meeting. Porras said the city charter requires seven days’ notice. Cobiella also warned that ending the agreement could be “construed by ICE as an anticipatory repudiation” of the city’s obligations, and he pointed to cases in Key West, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa where Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier accused officials of violating state sanctuary city laws.
The dispute comes as Doral’s Venezuelan community faces the loss of Temporary Protected Status. Some local businesses have reported revenue drops of 40% to 70%, and Doral’s Oktoberfest was canceled. Mayor Christi Fraga called the federal decision “difficult and heartbreaking” but said the city’s hands were tied on 287(g).
Cobiella did not respond to New Times’ request for comment.
