Indian Creek Village trains six officers for federal immigration duties

Indian Creek Village, a private island municipality in Miami-Dade County, has sent six of its police officers to receive training in federal immigration enforcement. The small community, which has a population of 84 according to the 2020 census, signed an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in July 2025.

The agreement allows the local police to participate in the federal 287(g) program. This program permits specific local law enforcement agencies to perform certain immigration law functions. The Indian Creek Village government formalized this cooperation with ICE, adding the island to the growing list of Florida jurisdictions involved in federal immigration operations.

The number of trained officers stands out because of the community's size. Miami, a city of nearly 500,000 people with approximately 1,400 police officers, has trained only two agents under the same program. Indian Creek's six officers represent three times that number. The island’s police force patrols both land and sea, monitoring the single bridge that connects the village to the mainland.

Residents of Indian Creek Village include high-profile figures such as Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, singer Julio Iglesias, and Ivanka Trump. The municipality contains 41 large properties. Access to the island is controlled through that one bridge, creating a distinct boundary between the private community and the surrounding area.

Local crime statistics for the past decade show a low incident rate. Data cited by the Miami Herald indicate that the municipality recorded no homicides, robberies, aggravated assaults, or sexual offenses during that ten-year period. These figures provide context for the community’s decision to integrate immigration duties into its local police operations.

Florida has become a central location for these federal cooperation agreements. The state currently holds 354 of the 2,698 287(g) agreements signed nationwide, a total exceeded only by Texas. The expansion of these agreements is part of the current administration's strategy to increase local law enforcement participation in identifying and detaining individuals subject to immigration proceedings.

State legislation requires county sheriffs to sign cooperation agreements with ICE. While this mandate does not apply to all municipal police forces in the same way, political pressure has increased. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned city council members in jurisdictions that rejected the agreements that they could face removal from office.

The training of Indian Creek Village’s officers marks a specific development in how federal immigration enforcement reaches residential communities. The island’s small population, wealthy residency, and full police participation in the federal program define its current role in the state’s immigration enforcement landscape.