Coral Gables is among roughly one-third of South Florida municipalities with independent police departments that have signed agreements allowing some local officers to perform immigration enforcement duties under the federal 287(g) program, a Miami Herald analysis found.

The Herald’s Oct. 27 review of public contracts identified 16 Miami-Dade and Broward municipalities with independent police departments that had joined the program. Coral Gables, Hialeah, Davie, Hollywood and Sweetwater were among them. More than 30 other municipalities, including Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach and Homestead, had not signed on, the analysis found.

What the agreement allows

Under the program, selected local officers receive training to perform certain immigration-officer functions under ICE direction and supervision. Coral Gables Police Department signed its agreement with ICE on March 5, 2025, according to the agency’s memorandum of agreement. The department was among the first Miami-Dade municipal police agencies to sign, NBC 6 South Florida reported.

Police Chief Ed Hudak told city commissioners he signed partly because he feared the city could face consequences under Florida’s anti-sanctuary-city laws if it did not. He said he did not envision officers conducting immigration sweeps or checking documents at businesses and homes, according to NBC 6.

Training numbers remain unclear

Eight of the cities that responded to the Herald’s data request reported a combined 22 officers trained under their agreements. Coral Gables was not among the departments that provided a training figure. Doral and North Bay Village told the Herald they had signed agreements but had not trained officers. Public records reviewed for the analysis did not establish how many Coral Gables officers, if any, have completed the training.

ICE recruiting materials cited by the Herald advertised up to $100,000 for vehicles and reimbursement for trained officers’ salaries. It remains unclear whether any South Florida city has received that funding.

State pressure and local debate

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier threatened to remove elected officials who rejected 287(g) agreements, arguing that refusals violated the state’s anti-sanctuary-city statutes. During an August 2025 court hearing in a lawsuit brought by South Miami, attorneys for the state said Florida did not interpret the law to require every municipality to sign, the Herald reported.

South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez filed the lawsuit in March 2025, seeking clarity on whether cities were legally required to join. Fernandez later told the Herald that state pressure on municipalities had eased. Jae Williams, a spokesperson for Uthmeier, disputed that characterization, telling the Herald it was “inference on your part, not reality.”

At a March 2025 Coral Gables commission meeting, residents and advocates urged the city to reject the agreement. Resident Juan Cuba called it a voluntary choice by the police department, NBC 6 reported.