Rents in Doral, Florida, have dropped to their lowest level in three years, and the city’s vacancy rate has climbed to 6.5 percent. While Miami as a whole is experiencing a market slowdown, Doral’s situation is being worsened by federal immigration policies.
According to the Wall Street Journal, about 40 percent of Doral’s 80,000 residents are Venezuelan or of Venezuelan descent. Many families are leaving due to uncertainty over their immigration status after recent actions by President Donald Trump’s administration. In some residential buildings, vacancies have reached 10 percent or more.
Many Venezuelans in Doral hold temporary legal status through humanitarian parole or Temporary Protected Status (TPS), programs that were expanded under the Biden administration. Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has moved to revoke these protections and launched multiple legal challenges, leaving over one million people uncertain about their ability to stay in the country.
Leasing agents are witnessing firsthand how this climate is affecting local residents. Maria Eugenia Nucete, a broker who has worked in Doral for decades, said: “They’re all telling me, ‘No, I can’t stay, my [temporary status] is expiring.” She recounted losing a client who moved to Italy earlier this year.
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga also acknowledged the trend: “I do personally know of some families that have self-deported. Their status was unsure and they didn’t want to be here illegally,” she told the Journal. “I’m sure it will affect the housing market to a certain extent.”
Some departing residents plan moves to Spain or Italy; others return to Venezuela. Gabriela Hernandez, 26, said her boyfriend already left because he feared losing his protected status. She plans to follow him soon: “All of our plans here have collapsed,” she told the publication.
The rise in departures has prompted some landlords in Doral to ask prospective tenants about their immigration status before renting units and even refuse applicants with temporary protection out of concern for possible rent delinquency if court rulings change residency rights. Legal experts warn that such practices could violate federal law.
“It could be viewed as a race-discrimination case or it could be viewed as a case involving allegations of discrimination based upon national origin,” said Courtney Cunningham, an attorney based in Miami.
Despite current challenges in its rental market, Doral has seen significant investment recently—including from the Trump family itself. In January, city officials approved a proposal from the Trump Organization allowing development of up to 1,500 luxury condominiums at Trump National Doral Miami.
