Miami-Dade mayor was at World Cup party that broke up after Border agent arrived: ‘Troubling'
A federal immigration agent arrived Wednesday night at an exclusive World Cup party on Biscayne Bay attended by Miami-Dade County's mayor, who is calling the incident 'deeply troubling' and a potential warning sign that international soccer fans won't feel safe traveling to Miami next year for the global soccer matches.
'This should not have happened,' Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a second-term Democrat, said in a statement Thursday. 'Ensuring that all community members feel safe and included is crucial to maintaining our county's reputation as a welcoming destination for both residents and visitors.'
The floating soiree, which was put on by Telemundo to celebrate the 2026 World Cup games being a year away, ended early after a Coast Guard boat conducted what an agency spokesperson said was a routine inspection of the barge that was the night's exclusive party spot. The Coast Guard spokesperson said one Customs and Border Protection agent was part of the federal team, and partygoers reported that authorities asked crew members of the party vessel, the Barefoot Princess, for identification that would prove their citizenship.
No action was taken from the inspection beyond citations for safety violations against the vessel, said Lt. Nicolina Converso, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard's Miami station. She did not have details on the violations.
'This was a routine boarding,' she said. 'Sometimes we will randomly go and check on boats in the area.'
In a later interview, Coast Guard spokesperson Nicole Groll emphasized that the Coast Guard's purpose for the vessel boarding was a safety check. 'This had nothing to do with the event that was happening onboard,' she said. 'This had everything to do with the operations and safety of the people onboard. And to make sure the business that was this boat was operating legally and safely.'
Groll said the vessel in question was boarded earlier in the year and that safety issues were found then.
She also said that it's standard procedure for the Coast Guard to run background checks on the professional crew operating a commercial vessel. 'They were talking to the captain and the crew,' she said. 'It's the same as if you get pulled over by a police officer.'
Asked if federal agents asked crew members about their citizenship, Groll said she couldn't say for sure. 'I can't say which words were said,' she told the Herald. 'This was not a targeted immigration thing.'
Telemundo, a Spanish-language network that broadcasts World Cup games, said it opted to cancel the event after the Coast Guard inspection delayed the start of the pre-sunset festivities. The statement did not address the immigration-enforcement concerns raised by Levine Cava.
'Due to delays caused by a routine Coast Guard inspection, Telemundo canceled its One Year to Go celebration,' the network statement said. 'We regret the inconvenience to our guests and appreciate their understanding.'
The incident was first publicized on social media by Thomas Kennedy, an immigrant advocate in Miami. He shared with the Miami Herald a text message he said he received from a person at the party.
'They came on board, did an inspection,' the message read. 'A border control agent was also on board asking the boat staff specifically to show identification and proof of citizenship. This was while guests were already onboard…including the mayor.'
Levine Cava did not say whether she saw anyone being asked for identification, but the owner of a different boat company told the Herald it is typical for the Coast Guard to ask professional crew members about citizenship during a stop.
In her statement, Levine Cava said the Coast Guard boarding could be a black eye for the Miami area as it prepares to be a host of the 2026 World Cup games. Miami-Dade is contributing more than $40 million to subsidize the summer games, with hopes of a surge of international visitors and spending to offset the public expenditures.
'Miami-Dade is a globally recognized community that is proud to welcome visitors from around the world,' she said. 'This incident is deeply troubling as it can cause a chilling effect for visitors to continue feeling safe and welcomed in our community.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Vance blames California Dems for violent immigration protests and calls Sen. Alex Padilla 'Jose'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vice President JD Vance on Friday accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging violent immigration protests as he used his appearance in Los Angeles to rebut criticism from state and local officials that the Trump administration fueled the unrest by sending in federal officers. Vance also referred to U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, the state's first Latino senator, as 'Jose Padilla,' a week after the Democrat was forcibly taken to the ground by officers and handcuffed after speaking out during a Los Angeles news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on immigration raids. 'I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question,' Vance said, in an apparent reference to the altercation at Noem's event. 'I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theater. And that's all it is.' 'They want to be able to go back to their far-left groups and to say, 'Look, me, I stood up against border enforcement. I stood up against Donald Trump,'' Vance added. A spokesperson for Padilla, Tess Oswald, noted in a social media post that Padilla and Vance were formerly colleagues in the Senate and said that Vance should know better. 'He should be more focused on demilitarizing our city than taking cheap shots,' Oswald said. Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a mobile command center came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted this week. That followed over a week of sometimes-violent clashes between protesters and police and outbreaks of vandalism and looting that followed immigration raids across Southern California. Trump's dispatching of his top emissary to Los Angeles at a time of turmoil surrounding the Israel-Iran war and the U.S.'s future role in it signals the political importance Trump places on his hard-line immigration policies. Vance echoed the president's harsh rhetoric toward California Democrats as he sought to blame them for the protests in the city. 'Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that this is open season on federal law enforcement,' Vance said after he toured federal immigration enforcement offices. 'What happened here was a tragedy,' Vance added. 'You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job. That is disgraceful. And it is why the president has responded so forcefully.' Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement, 'The Vice President's claim is categorically false. The governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear.' In a statement on X, Newsom responded to Vance's reference to 'Jose Padilla,' saying the comment was no accident. Jose Padilla also is the name of a convicted al-Qaida terrorism plotter during President George W. Bush's administration, who was sentenced to two decades in prison. Padilla was arrested in 2002 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport during the tense months after the 9/11 attacks and accused of the 'dirty bomb' mission. It later emerged through U.S. interrogation of other al-Qaida suspects that the 'mission' was only a sketchy idea, and those claims never surfaced in the South Florida terrorism case. Responding to the outrage, Taylor Van Kirk, a spokesperson for Vance, said of the vice president: 'He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law.' Federal immigration authorities have been ramping up arrests across the country to fulfill Trump's promise of mass deportations. Todd Lyons, the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has defended his tactics against criticism that authorities are being too heavy-handed. The friction in Los Angeles began June 6, when federal agents conducted a series of immigration sweeps in the region that have continued since. Amid the protests and over the objections of state and local officials, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the second-largest U.S. city, home to 3.8 million people. Trump has said that without the military's involvement, Los Angeles 'would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years.' Newsom has depicted the military intervention as the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to overturn political and cultural norms at the heart of the nation's democracy. Earlier Friday, Newsom urged Vance to visit victims of the deadly January wildfires while in Southern California and talk with Trump, who earlier this week suggested his feud with the governor might influence his consideration of $40 billion in federal wildfire aid for California. 'I hope we get that back on track,' Newsom wrote on X. 'We are counting on you, Mr. Vice President.' ___ Associated Press writers Julie Watson and Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Tran Nguyen in Sacramento contributed to this report.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Gavin Newsom sipped wine at Napa fundraiser while anti-ICE protesters plunged L.A. into chaos
California Gov. Gavin Newsom threw on a pair of sunglasses and sipped wine at a ritzy party at his sun-drenched vineyard earlier this month – just as chaotic, anti-ICE protests kicked off in Los Angeles. The luxe event dubbed 'Vineyard Vibes' was held at the Odette Estate Winery in Napa Valley to raise money for the PlumpJack Foundation, founded by Newsom's sister, on the afternoon of June 7. One witness was appalled that the Democrat was casually enjoying a glass of vino in a V-neck T-shirt and baseball cap the day after his City of Angels started spiraling into violence, with rioters throwing concrete rocks at cops and vandalizing federal buildings. 4 California Gov. Gavin Newsom was spotted at the Odette Estate Winery in Napa Valley as anti-ICE protests kicked off in Los Angeles earlier this month. Obtained by NYPost 4 The governor was dressed casually at the fundraiser, just a day after LA started spiraling into violence. Obtained by NYPost 'I couldn't believe it,' said the source, who photographed Newsom at the wine-tasting event. 'He was just walking around like this was an everyday occurrence.' But more than 400 miles away, downtown Los Angeles was plunging into chaos – rioters were busted for tossing Molotov cocktails at law enforcement while vehicles were set on fire and scrawled with graffiti reading 'KILL ICE' and 'F–K ICE.' The violence, spurred by raids on illegal immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reached a point that President Trump called in the National Guard over objections from Newsom, who ripped into the Republican for inflaming the situation. Newsom attended the wine fundraiser for at least 90 minutes, the source said — with Trump sending in the troops later that evening. 4 The 'Vineyard Vibes' event happened on June 7, as one witness there was shocked to see Newsom in a V-neck T-shirt enjoying a glass of wine on the same day protests were breaking out across the City of Angels. AFP via Getty Images The event featured 'contemporary yet sophisticated' wines, live jazz music and local sources pizza and smash burgers. 'It's the perfect kick-off to summer fun,' promotional language stated. 'The fete will take place on the Winery Crushpad, where we'll gather for music, food, conversation, a delicious wine!' A spokesperson for the governor's office made clear Newsom 'proudly attended' the annual fundraiser for the UCSF Cancer 'in honor of his mother who died of breast cancer' at age 55. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! PlumpJack Foundation is focused on cancer prevention and education and combating the cycle of poverty, according to its website. Newsom co-founded Odette Estate Winery with two other business partners more than a decade ago. Newsom, a possible contender to run for president in 2028, has faced past criticism for being out of touch, including in November 2020 when he was caught attending a swanky dinner party for 12 even as he encouraged California residents not to socialize because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A photo snapped at the time showed him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, unmasked around the same time he pushed for state guidelines meant to suppress the spread of the disease. 4 A source indicated that Newsom was at the fundraiser for around 90 minutes before troops were later sent by President Trump across the city. REUTERS Newsom apologized for the shocking display of hypocrisy as he faced a firestorm. 'While the First Partner and I followed the restaurant's health protocols and took safety precautions, I should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner,' he said in a statement. Newsom and Trump have been battling in court over the commander in chief's authority to control National Guard troops he sent to the liberal West Coast city. Newsom claimed the deployment wasted resources and raised the temperature while Trump insisted he had to take the action to restore order.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Dodgers commit $1 million toward families of immigrants 'impacted by recent events'
One day after Department of Homeland Security officers infringed upon their home amid nearly two weeks of heightened tension in Los Angeles, the Dodgers on Friday announced a $1 million "commitment" toward financial assistance for families of immigrants "impacted by recent events in the region." Los Angeles has been roiled by aggressive raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which have honed in on workplaces frequented by immigrants. Marines and the National Guard have been dispatched to Los Angeles in the wake of protests that have seen heavy use of tear gas and projectile weapons by law enforcement. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have been heavily criticized for both action and inaction from their heavily Latino fan base. Manager Dave Roberts stated he didn't have enough information to opine on the situation, and the club came under more scrutiny after R&B singer Nezza sang the national anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium, and posted videos and correspondence showing it was against the Dodgers' wishes. Veteran utilityman Kiké Hernández posted a message of support on Instagram, and in the days following the club indicated it would soon show support for the area's immigrant population. Then came Thursday's caravan of DHS vans and vehicles to the Dodger Stadium gate, where they apparently hoped to use the grounds for staging. Protestors arrived and DHS officials were eventually escorted out a separate exit by the Los Angeles Police Department. But many remained and turned their grievances toward the Dodgers for staying largely neutral at a time the community was reeling. The Dodgers' statement nodded non-specifically toward events in the area while not referencing ICE, DHS or other outside forces. "What's happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected,' said Dodgers president Stan Kasten, whose club generated an estimated $752 million in revenue last season and is valued at nearly $7 billion. 'We believe that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles.' Mayor Karen Bass indicated the external infringement on the community has had an impact. 'These last weeks have sent shockwaves of fear rippling through every neighborhood and have had a direct impact on our economy," Bass said.
