ICE raids cause panic among Doral residents. Fear of being detained by immigration agents is leading some Latino families in Doral to change their daily routines, particularly many Venezuelan families. Parents in the process of determining their immigration status say they are afraid to leave their homes, take their children to school, or even drive to work.
The concern is also having an impact on other members of the community, including drivers who say they are receiving more requests from families looking to avoid driving.
On social media, users claim that people are being taken away regardless of their immigration status.
Users are reporting which establishments have been raided, especially warning Venezuelans to avoid visiting those places, as well as public sites.
Request for support for the Venezuelan community in Doral
Venezuelan women residing in the city of Doral who have time available are invited to join as volunteers in neighborhood support groups for the benefit of families in our community.
Despite having an active asylum process in court and maintaining legal status within the country, many of our compatriots currently face fear of being deported, which hinders the development of their daily activities.
Community assistance work includes:
- Transfer of children to and from their educational centers.
- Shopping for food and basic supplies.
- To provide support and general assistance to the affected families.
"Those who are able to collaborate can join this solidarity network to provide direct support to families who need help at this time," the post highlights.
Lisbeth Lovo, a Venezuelan rideshare driver and resident of South Florida, told Telemundo which in recent days has noticed an increase in applications from Venezuelan families in Doral.
“They want me to take their kids to school, take their mom to work, take them to work because they don’t want to drive,” Lovo said. The driver says she currently takes about six children to school every day because their parents are afraid to drive after recent reports circulating on social media of people being detained during traffic stops.
Lovo particularly recalls a recent trip in which a passenger was frightened by witnessing an arrest. “They’re scared. In fact, yesterday I was carrying a customer when they saw a man being arrested on 107th Street and she got scared,” Lovo recounted.
Economic loss
In Doral, international media report, the intense immigration control operations are already generating fear among Latino families and hurting sales for local businesses.
At El Arepazo, one of the iconic restaurants of the Venezuelan community en DoralThe change is noticeable. Its owner, Alexis Mogollón, told CNN that its restaurant is registering the worst numbers in its history.
“More and more people are leaving every day,” Mogollón noted. He says his customers often call the shop to ask if “Immigration raided” or if there were any raids in the area: “That’s our daily bread.”
Doral is also known as the “Little Venezuela of Florida,” since nearly 40% of the local population are Venezuelan immigrants. Because of this, it has become a place where the Venezuelan climate and culture are felt in every corner. “You go to the market and everyone is speaking Spanish,” Cristina Barreto, a real estate agent, told CNN.
However, the tightening of immigration policies and the advance of federal actions targeting TPS beneficiaries have disrupted the migrants' peace of mind. "Many are self-deporting, others are leaving," Barreto commented.
The real estate agent also pointed out that there are currently properties in Doral that have been vacant for hundreds of days, something unprecedented in her more than nine years in Florida. “If this uncertainty with TPS continues, I imagine that the real estate sector here, at least the rental market, is going to be chaotic,” she emphasized.
mea culpa
The tightening of immigration policies and the advance of federal actions targeting TPS beneficiaries have disrupted the peace of mind of migrants, many of whom supported Trump during the 2024 campaign for his return to the White House, and now feel disappointed. because of its policies.
“The house had to be cleaned, yes, but there were also things that had to be respected and examined closely,” Mogollón explained to CNN, referring to the situation faced by many migrants who built their lives in the city and are now in limbo and at risk of deportation.
Adelys Ferro, activist and director of the Venezuelan American Caucus stated:We not only feel betrayed, we feel used".
Ferro emphasized that “President Trump’s campaign promise was first against criminals, then against undocumented immigrants, and now against migrants, regardless of their status,” he told BBC News.
Doral City Councilman Rafael Pineyro said that local police are not involved in arrests and drew attention to the economic loss this represents for the city, noting that some businesses have reported sales drops of up to 70% due to the absence of consumers, who are afraid to go out on the streets.
The official also stated that the presence of federal patrols and immigration detentions are disrupting the city's daily life. He explained that these operations are impacting local businesses, the quality of life for families, and student attendance at the municipality's schools.
The official's statements come amid a surge in ICE operations nationwide. According to government data provided to the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley, and analyzed by the AP News Agency, ICE made 49.571 arrests during July, the highest monthly figure during President Donald Trump's second term.
The number of arrests in July represented a 15% increase compared to June, when 43.021 arrests were recorded, and a 70% increase compared to February, when 29.241 arrests were recorded.
