Miami will wait until after special election to vote on partnership with ICE

Tess Riski, Miami Herald on Apr 24, 2025

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MIAMI — The city of Miami will wait until after a June special election before deciding whether to enter into an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement that would deputize city police officers with immigration enforcement powers.

On Thursday, the Miami City Commission was slated to vote on an item to authorize the city to enter into a 287(g) agreement, specifically under the “task force” model. Under that model, some Miami Police Department officers would be allowed to conduct immigration enforcement functions during routine work, such as questioning, arresting and detaining people suspected of violating immigration law.

But on Thursday morning, officials announced that the city was deferring the item to the meeting on June 12, which is the first City Commission meeting after a June 3 special election for District 4. The special election was called after the death of District 4 Commissioner Manolo Reyes earlier this month.

City Attorney George Wysong told the Miami Herald on Thursday that city officials want to wait to vote on the item until after the election so that the new District 4 commissioner can weigh in. Wysong also noted that the city wanted to hold off on discussing the proposal until Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales, who is out of town, could be present.

That means whomever is elected will be tasked at their first commission meeting with casting a vote on a policy that could have a major impact in South Florida, with Miami being the largest city in Miami-Dade County and the second most populous in the state. Over half of the city’s residents are foreign-born, and more than 70% are Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

So far, two candidates have qualified for the June 3 special election: Ralph Rosado, who is an urban planner and was previously the manager of North Bay Village, and Jose Regalado, who worked as an assistant director in the city’s Building Department up until Monday when he resigned. Regalado is the son of former Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado and brother of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado.

The candidate qualifying period closes at the end of the day Friday.