Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez Answers to Reporter Daniel Rivero from the WLRN Radio

The right to interrogate people they believe are in the US illegally and process them with ICE. It appears that the confluence of these two things might mean deputized immigration officials will now be at all DMV locations in Miami-Dade. Was this the intention behind bringing FHP to DMV offices? What would you say to any residents anxious or concerned of the increased presence of immigration officials across the county, regardless of their immigration status?

Tax Collector-Press, Answered:  

Good afternoon Daniel, 

Although the Miami-Dade Driver Licenses are currently still under the purview of Department of Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025, we received several reports of an incident that occurred between members of the public and Driver License staff. Based off the information we received; we believe the incident was caused by misinformation that members of the public may have received regarding their ability to obtain walk-in service at the location without an appointment. Since then, we have received reports of similar incidents occurring at several of the other Driver License offices. We believe these issues may have been exacerbated by the heightened tensions surrounding recent executive orders issued by President Trump which intend to put an end to illegal immigration and protect the national security of the United States by removing gangs, terrorists, and illegal criminals from this country.  

Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the Driver License staff and members of the public, the Office of the Tax Collector contacted FLHSMV to convey those concerns and to request that they enhance the level of security at their offices while they are transitioning to Tax Collector’s purview. In response, FLHSMV committed to posting Florida Highway Patrolman (FHP) at the Offices in addition to enhancing the number of security guards at each location. As you may remember, FHP would routinely be posted at the offices in the past.  

This decision was not related to the enforcement of immigration laws at any of the County’s Driver License offices, as it occurred long before the announcement of Governor DeSantis you referenced in your question. The main priority for the Honorable Dariel Fernandez, as the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector, is to ensure that all members of the public and the employees who work at all Driver License Offices have a safe environment to work, where they can deliver the highest level of customer service that the residents expect from their public servants. We reiterate to the members of the public that driving is a privilege not a right, and customers who request services from the Driver License Offices must have the appropriate -permanent or temporary- authorization from immigration authorities to do so.

For further media inquiries, contact us at press@mdctaxcollector.gov