El Portal Councilman Apologizes After Profanity-Laced Rant Against Federal Agents During Meeting
A village councilman in El Portal, Florida, has issued a public apology following a chaotic committee meeting during which he delivered a profanity-laden tirade against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. The incident, which occurred during the village’s Planning and Zoning committee meeting on January 22, sparked immediate backlash from fellow officials and residents after the official used a racial slur and mimed holding a firearm from the dais.
Councilman Anders Urbom, who was elected to the Village Council in 2019, began his remarks by recounting a traffic stop he had witnessed earlier that day on Biscayne Boulevard. Urbom stated he observed a CBP agent pulling over a vehicle, a situation he described as “odd” for federal agents to handle. He told colleagues he pulled into a nearby parking lot to film the encounter, which he noted ended without an arrest but left him agitated regarding federal law enforcement presence in the Miami-area community.
Video footage of the meeting captures the situation spiraling as Urbom’s retelling of the event turned into an aggressive outburst. While criticizing the federal agents, Urbom used severe profanity, including referring to the agents with expletives. During the rant, he also made a sweeping generalization about voters, stating that “every white person in this country who voted for Trump” is racist, during which he utilized a racial epithet. At one point, the councilman raised his arms to mime holding a long gun, gesturing as if he were aiming a weapon.
The outburst drew immediate condemnation from other city officials present at the meeting. Mayor Omarr C. Nickerson attempted to intervene and de-escalate the situation, urging the councilman to stop. Vice Mayor Darian Martin, who is Black, forcefully rebuked Urbom for his use of the racial slur. Martin stated that regardless of the context or the point Urbom was trying to make, the use of such language was “horribly offensive” and inappropriate for an elected official.
“I do say that as a white man you should not be saying that word in any context, and I take great offense to it,” Martin said during the exchange, which was met with applause from attendees.
In the days following the meeting, the incident drew strong criticism from El Portal residents, many of whom attended the subsequent council meeting to express their anger. Community members described the behavior as unprofessional and traumatizing, arguing that elected representatives must be held to a higher standard of decorum.
Urbom has since apologized for his conduct. Addressing the community and the council, he acknowledged that his choice of words was inexcusable. “All slurs should be globally buried,” Urbom said in his statement. “I acknowledge and understand that the word I used, no matter the context, is beyond offensive and even traumatizing. None of this excuses my choice to use the word, I am sorry.”
The incident highlights ongoing tensions regarding the role of federal immigration authorities in local jurisdictions, a topic that frequently generates heated debate in South Florida. While Urbom claimed his initial intent was to question the jurisdiction of the CBP stop he witnessed, the delivery of his message and the use of hate speech overshadowed the policy discussion. As of this week, the council has not announced any formal disciplinary action, though the Vice Mayor and residents continue to emphasize the need for accountability in local governance.
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