<\/p>\n
ICE agents were seen Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in different areas of Doral, a city with a large immigrant population.<\/p>\n
Instagram account of Here in Doral via CBS News Miami<\/p>\n
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga is responding to business owners who say increased immigration-enforcement activity in the city is frightening customers and workers and taking a significant toll on their businesses.<\/p>\n
ICE agents were seen Wednesday in different areas of Doral, a city with a large immigrant population. A social-media platform reported that agents detained people at a gas station near Northwest 41st Street and 107th Avenue.<\/p>\n
Nearby business owners say the presence of immigration agents is having an economic impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cICE agents have been very close to our area, on 107th Avenue. People are scared to come out. It\u2019s affecting us,\u201d said Katia Rios, of Pipo Burgers.<\/p>\n
Rios said the business has experienced a dramatic decline in customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur sales have dropped 70%. We spend hours empty,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Fraga told CBS News Miami that she understands the concerns but said local governments have no authority to prevent federal immigration agents from conducting enforcement operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t agree with the way things are handled,\u201d Fraga said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is federal law. We cannot impede the federal ICE agents from coming into the cities and doing their enforcement, whether we agree or not,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Before dusk Wednesday, cellphone video captured another arrest by agents in Doral, this time in the middle of traffic.<\/p>\n
![\"City](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/MIA_100DoralNewPolice10NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_100DoralNewPolice10NEWPPP.JPG\\"")
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga says: \u2018We are doing what we can to have conversations. I know it\u2019s a very difficult time. I recognize it.\u2019 Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com | June 10, 2026 <\/p>\n
Fraga said the city does not receive advance notice when federal immigration agents conduct operations within Doral.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, the city is not notified when they are in our city,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For some business owners, the impact extends beyond declining sales.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to see action,\u201d said Angelica Yepez, a restaurant co-owner who said she is down to one employee after losing six workers who feared being detained despite having applied for political asylum.<\/p>\n
Yepez said she wants city leaders to meet with affected business owners and explain what, if anything, local officials can do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the mayor and elected officials to meet with us and tell us, \u2018This is what we can do,\u2019 \u201d Yepez said.<\/p>\n
The concern is also being felt by businesses outside Doral.<\/p>\n
Miguel Angel Flores owns a food truck near the city and said he, too, has been affected by the fear surrounding immigration enforcement. Holding back tears, Flores said, \u201cI\u2019d like to be out in the streets and not be scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some business owners told CBS News Miami they do not believe letters and emails from city officials are enough.<\/p>\n
Fraga said the city\u2019s efforts go beyond written correspondence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just emails and letters. There are phone calls being made,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are doing what we can to have conversations. I know it\u2019s a very difficult time. I recognize it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doral\u2019s demographics make immigration enforcement an especially significant issue for the community. Census data show a large majority of the city\u2019s population is foreign-born, with Venezuelans making up a substantial portion of Doral residents.<\/p>\n
For business owners like Rios and Yepez, the concern is not only about immigration enforcement itself, but also about what happens when customers and workers become too afraid to leave their homes.<\/p>\n
As ICE enforcement continues in and around Doral, they are asking city leaders for more direct assistance \u2014 while the mayor says the city\u2019s ability to intervene in federal immigration operations is limited.<\/p>\n