Cuban Immigration in Hialeah Affects City Operations: Here’s What the Local Government Says

The number of Cuban immigrants in the city of Hialeah affects the orderly operation of the city, local authorities indicated.

About 80,000 Cubans entered that part of the United States in the last two years, according to reports recently presented at the City Hall of the city.

In that context, Esteban Bovo Jr, mayor of Hialeah, said that “of the 420,000 migrants who arrived from Cuba to the United States, 75% ended up in South Florida, that is, about 150,000 people.

The first of four Immigration Forums on the work and tasks of public officials addressed this topic that affects several aspects of local life.

Aspects such as the housing crisis, the number of passengers in public transport, traffic accidents, and even the number of enrollments in schools in the area are now more difficult to manage by officials due to this overpopulation of Cuban origin.

The intervention of members of the Fire Department and the Police, among other departments, exemplified many of the cases in which the problem can be observed.

• A 4% increase in calls to police services.
• Significant increase in traffic accidents.
• Increases in citations for driving without a valid license, bus trips, homeless arrests, and the use of illegal units, including recreational vehicles.
• Increase in housing code violations with the illegal real estate market.
• 40,000 driving licenses were issued to immigrants with a postal code in Hialeah, 6,000 more than those issued before 2022.
• Increased bus trips, homeless arrests, and the use of illegal units, including recreational vehicles.

Another conclusion from the workshop is the need to conduct a population census that reflects the actual number of local residents, as the current one does not reflect the situation in Hialeah.

That population count, Bovo said, disregards people who are not detected when crossing entry ports or those who arrive in the country in other ways, something that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not account for.

Hours later, the Hialeah City Council unanimously voted on a resolution that blames Biden and his administration for the open border policies and demands strong measures to contain immigration from the southern border to the city.

It also states that the region faces significant social and economic challenges because of this overpopulation and that no financial or other types of aid have been received to address the crisis.

And although everything points to immigration, especially that of Cuban origin, Bovo declared that nothing should be interpreted as anti-immigrant, a stance with clear political overtones, experts say.

The next forum is scheduled for March 11, and in addition to the aforementioned departments, employees from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DMV), city and county programs will also attend.

Some churches that, as part of their charity work, help immigrants at risk of becoming homeless will also participate.