DORAL, Fla. — Members of South Florida’s congressional delegation struck a celebratory tone while speaking in Doral Monday morning following the capture and arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the U.S. military over the weekend.
“When I got the phone call early Saturday morning from Marco Rubio, I was ecstatic,” U.S. Sen Rick Scott, R-Florida, said. “When he said Maduro had been captured and was on the boat, what a great day.”
Scott, along with two fellow Republicans, Sen. Ashley Moody and U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, thanked President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for leading the effort to oust Maduro.
“When President Trump says he’s gonna do something, he’s actually going to do something,” Gimenez said.
The lawmakers also thanked opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, saying she will at some point be a part of the country’s leadership as it now transitions to a democracy.
“She’s been a fighter forever; if it hadn’t been for what she was willing to do and others, we also wouldn’t be here,” Scott said.
Gimenez said he was not happy with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, a member of Maduro’s socialist party, leading Venezuela, but he said the U.S.’s main priority is ensuring there’s no chaos within the country as they now transition into a democracy. He said if she fails to follow policies set by the Trump administration, she’ll face a similar fate to Maduro.
He put other Latin American countries with authoritarian governments on alert — including Cuba — whose current leaders, he says, are watching very closely.
“If you’re shuddering a little bit, if you’re scared in Cuba, I think you should be,” he said.
Perhaps most importantly to the concerns of many Venezuelans living in the U.S. is the future of their temporary protected status program, which was ended by the Trump administration last year.
Scott was asked about TPS on Monday morning.
“First off, here’s what’s going to happen: We’re going to go through a transition. I think Carlos said this, there’s not a direct path to get to a democracy,” he said.
Local 10 News caught up with Scott afterward and asked him directly if he wants to see TPS reinstated for Venezuelans, but the senator didn’t commit.
“I support making sure Venezuelans have the opportunity to be here until it’s safe,” he said.
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