Latest news with #CamilaRamos
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
In chaotic, shameful scene, Miami-Dade commissioners watch public speaker dragged out
The chaotic scene that broke out Thursday at the Miami-Dade commission meeting should concern everyone who still believes in open government. A local resident identified as Camila Ramos, 36, was forcibly dragged from the meeting by Miami-Dade sheriff's deputies after attempting to ask a question about the immigration enforcement agreement between Miami-Dade and ICE, a volatile topic, especially in South Florida. It was a shocking moment: scuffles, pleas to be allowed to speak, the crowd chanting 'Let her speak' as Ramos was dragged along the floor of the chamber and out the door by multiple law enforcement officers. Many members of the public held up their phones to video the appalling spectacle. It's also a flashing red warning light. Miami-Dade and other Florida elected officials are acting increasingly inaccessible. Public input, which should be at the heart of our government, seems to be eyed with increasing suspicion or outright hostility. Ramos wasn't threatening anyone. Yes, she was an opponent of the agreement. But she merely asked a question about her right to speak after Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez said he would end future public comment if anyone spoke. How does that warrant dragging her out of the room? 'I just asked a question!' Ramos pleaded, as she was grabbed and hustled out. 'I have a right to understand this process,' she pleaded. She's right. We'd like to understand it, too. Some commissioners wanted the speakers to be heard. Others explained that the agreement with ICE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — wasn't on the agenda, or at least they didn't think so. The confusion helped increase the temperature in the room. But clamping down on public speech with violence is a serious and dangerous thing to do. It wasn't just Ramos being taken from that room — it was the public's right to participate. Thursday's episode is part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern: Politicians in Miami and in Florida seem to be making it harder for constituents to come in front of them to be heard. Public town halls and open forums are dwindling. Comment times in public meetings are short. The shift reflects a fear of confrontation — but in dodging conflict, our leaders are also dodging accountability. We've seen Miami city commissioners sit through public hearings with little interest in what is being said by the public. The hearings usually end with a vote where elected officials do exactly what they were going to do before the public spoke. Public comments are treated as little more than a show — and constituents know it. What happened Thursday wasn't just a breakdown in communication. It was a silencing of debate. The commission had already moved to defer a vote on a new ICE jail agreement, a cooperation agreement that Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava had signed. (It is now mandated by state law.) Rodriguez told those who signed up to speak on the topic that they could — but this time only. If the matter ever returned for a vote, Rodriguez said there would be no further public comment. That's confusing — none at all, ever? — and seems strangely punitive. Ramos was, understandably, seeking clarification. And that's when she was dragged out. The item on the agenda Thursday was a modification of county-ICE agreement that included reimbursement provisions for inmates held at Miami-Dade jails when they are sought for deportation. The agreement raises concerns about due process, public records and the potential for people to disappear into an immigration abyss. Yet instead of listening, the Miami-Dade commission met simple questioning with brute authority. And we didn't see or hear anyone from the dais calling for calmer heads to prevail. For the average citizen, standing at a microphone during public comment may be their only shot at being heard. But, on Thursday, that right was denied and punished. The Miami-Dade commission may think it enforced its control on the chamber, but what it really did was show the public just how far removed it has become from the people it claims to serve. Click here to send the letter.
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Protesters released after arrests at contentious Miami-Dade Commission meeting
The two people arrested at a Miami-Dade County Commission meeting on Thursday have been released from jail, following a confrontation that drew sharp criticism from immigrant advocates. Camila Ramos, 36, was released Friday afternoon from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. She did not speak to reporters as she walked to her car. Confusion during deferred ICE vote Ramos was arrested after she spoke up during confusion over whether the public would be allowed to comment on a deferred vote involving an agreement with ICE and county jails. The proposal includes reimbursement for housing local inmates awaiting deportation. She was charged with resisting arrest with violence and battery on an officer. In bond court Friday, her attorney said she was denied bond the day of her arrest. "Obviously that was just a ruse to make her spend a night in jail. They also took a simple battery and made it an aggravated battery," the attorney said. "She's already been more punished than she should've been." Z Spicer, who was also arrested, was charged with resisting arrest without violence and bonded out Thursday night. Advocates condemn arrests, demand action A group of immigrant advocates held a press conference Friday, calling the arrests shameful and demanding that the charges be dropped. They also urged the county mayor, sheriff, and commissioners to address the incident. "This is an attack on free speech on our rights to give public comment," said Juan Cuba with Sheriff Accountability Action. "They push us, they scream to us, even one guy, one police officer came with a rifle. Do they need a rifle there, really?" said Karla De Anda with the Right to Freedom Network. Commissioner calls for rule changes On Thursday, District 13 Commissioner Rene Garcia commented on the arrests. "I think today was a great exercise in figuring out that we must modify our rules a little bit to make sure that we never take people's right away to speak on any item," Garcia said. CBS News Miami has reached out to the Miami-Dade sheriff, the county mayor's office, and county commissioners for comment but has not yet received a response.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Officers drag woman out of ICE rules hearing for attempting to speak
Camila Ramos, 36, was forcibly removed from a Miami -Dade Commission meeting after attempting to speak about a controversial agreement between county jails and ICE. Video footage showed deputies manhandling Ramos, causing her to fall to the floor, as she repeatedly shouted, 'Let go of me!' amid chants of 'let her speak!' from the audience. The incident occurred during a discussion of Resolution 11A, which allows county jails to hold Immigration detainees for ICE for up to 48 hours, a measure advocacy groups argue makes it harder to track undocumented family members. Ramos allegedly ignored an officer's instruction not to speak after the Commission Chair threatened to ban future public comments on the issue if anyone spoke out. The event reflects a broader push by Trump's mass deportation agenda, including the expansion of the 287(g) program and proposals like a large immigrant detention facility in Florida.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Shocking scenes as woman dragged out of meeting for trying to speak during hearing on ICE rules
Chants of 'let her speak!' erupted at a Miami-Dade Commission meeting, after a woman was dragged out of the event before being given a chance to give her remarks on a controversial agreement between county jails and ICE. Video footage and pictures showed the woman, later identified by local Florida news outlets as 36-year-old Camila Ramos, being manhandled by County Sheriff's deputies and falling to the floor at the meeting on Thursday. 'Let go of me!' Ramos shouted repeatedly. 'I can stand and I can be quiet… I have a right to understand this process… Stop it!' The altercation prompted cheers from others assembled in the room. The incident came after the board's refusal to vote on an agreement between the jails and ICE that advocacy groups say will make it harder for families to track undocumented family members if they are taken into custody. Resolution 11A also allows the county jails to hold immigration detainees on behalf of ICE for up to 48 hours and charge the government $50 per person, per NBC South Florida. Ramos allegedly ignored an officer who told her not to speak after Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez explained he would ban future public comments on the issue if any person chose to speak at the meeting. The Miami Herald reported that the outburst later prompted further small scuffles with law enforcement. The scenes in Florida come against the backdrop of an ongoing push by the Trump administration to expand its immigration powers by tapping resources from other federal agencies. So-called 287(g) agreements — named after a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act — effectively deputize local law enforcement to work with federal agencies to enforce federal law. ICE has signed 571 of those cooperative agreements covering 40 states as of May 18, according to ICE. The expansion of the 287(g) program 'further fuels Trump's mass deportation agenda by expanding the dragnet for putting people into the arrest to deportation pipeline,' according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Earlier this month, federal troops were deployed to Los Angeles over the objections of California officials in response to widespread protests against immigration raids, sparking violent clashes in the city and surrounding areas. Officials reported having carried out roughly 1,200 arrests per day in June, though the number still looks set to increase. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have reportedly urged immigration officials to hit 3,000 arrests per day. Elsewhere in Florida, Trump's allies have signed up in force with state officials reclaiming public land in the Everglades to build 'Alligator Alcatraz' – a prison designed to detain thousands of immigrants. The project is expected to cost roughly $450 million a year to operate.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Video shows woman dragged out of Miami-Dade commission meeting after objecting to ICE agreement
A Miami-Dade County Commission meeting on Thursday morning turned chaotic after a woman was dragged out of the chambers after objecting to the board's refusal to vote on an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and county jails. According to CBS News Miami's partners at the Miami Herald, Miami-Dade County Sheriff's deputies dragged out a woman who allegedly ignored an officer who told her not to speak after Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez explained he would bar future public comments on the issue if any person chose to speak at the meeting. The woman, whom the Herald identified the woman as 36-year-old Camila Ramos, was seen on video colliding with a sign as multiple deputies dragged her out of the chambers and was allegedly pushed to the floor of the lobby before being brought to a commission office. The incident prompted other small scuffles with law enforcement during the confrontation outside the chambers at the Stephen P. Clark Center in Downtown Miami. According to the Herald, Thursday's incident marked the "most chaotic" moment at the commission chambers since the board agreed in 2017, during the first weeks of the first Trump administration, to extend jail time for local inmates sought by ICE for deportation. What led up to the chaotic chambers Earlier this year, Miami-Dade County approved a formal cooperation with ICE for the county jail system, which are now mandated by Florida state law. The item on the agenda was a modification of that agreement that included reimbursement provisions for local inmates held at county jails when sought for deportation. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recommended approval, the Herald reported. Commissioner Oliver Gilbert asked to defer the vote indefinitely because Cava had already signed the agreement before the scheduled vote. Rodriguez agreed and told the audience they could still speak on the item, but if it came up for another vote, there would not be another opportunity for anyone to speak in the future. According to the Herald, Ramos was already near the dais and waiting for her chance to speak. That's when she asked for Rodriguez to clarify his instructions when a plain-clothes deputy told her to be quiet. Ramos objected and was forcibly removed from where she stood. Audience members immediately objected to the situation, where multiple people were seen following Ramos and the deputies outside the chambers, which prompted orders for people to stand back as she was pushed to the ground by deputies. The modification of a cooperation agreement that Florida law mandates for all jails brought warnings of ICE being able to "disappear" inmates whose names would otherwise be listed on a public website for loved ones to search. However, county officials denied that and said the disputed restrictions on public records in the new agreement already exist under federal, the Herald reported. Cava's administration told the Herald that the agreement on the agenda is required by Florida law. "This is not something about which I have a choice," Cava told the Herald. "This is the law... It doesn't mean it is the wish of this body."
