'Venezuela will be FREE!': South Florida lawmakers hail U.S. capture of 'narco-terrorist' Maduro

South Florida lawmakers, who have long been united in their bipartisan condemnation of the Venezuelan regime led by President Nicolás Maduro, on Saturday morning applauded the Trump administration, and U.S. military and U.S. law enforcement authorities, for capturing the “narco-terrorist” and bringing him to justice in the U.S.

“Venezuela will be FREE!” U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Miami, posted on X.

“Maduro’s dictatorship has come to an end,” the Cuban-American lawmaker wrote. “The narco-terrorist who poisoned our children, exported crime to our neighborhood through the Tren de Aragua, and turned Venezuela into a state of terror will now face U.S. justice.”

READ MORE: U.S. hit Venezuela with 'large-scale strike,' captured Nicolás Maduro, Trump says

U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Miami, equated Maduro’s ouster as the “this hemisphere’s equivalent of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.”

“It marks the beginning of the end for narco-terrorist regimes that have terrorized their people, flooded our communities with deadly drugs, and destabilized the Americas,” wrote Gimenez on X.

“Our country, and the world, are safer because of President Trump’s leadership, resolve, and willingness to confront evil head-on,” said Gimenez, who said he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the administration’s actions on Saturday.

“This is a historic day in Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan, Cuban, and Nicaraguan exile communities in the nation,” Gimenez said. “This hemisphere will be the hemisphere of freedom.”

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz Balart, R-Miami, echoed his Republican colleagues, praising the Trump administration for removing “the illegitimate Maduro regime.”

“Unabetted for years, Maduro has sent drugs into our country, killing an untold number of Americans, kidnapped innocent Americans, flooded our country with violent cartel members from Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles, while destabilizing regional security,” he said. “The regime has also allied itself with America's enemies, Iran, China, Russia, Cuba, Hezbollah, and Hamas.

“It is utterly irresponsible behavior to continue; it puts our country’s security in jeopardy,” Diaz-Balart said. “While others dithered, President Trump recognized this threat for what it is and acted with resolve.”

In a post on X, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., praised the Trump administration for its apprehension of "narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro."

"Maduro was indicted in a U.S. Court and was told to stop sending drugs into our country to kill our kids and grandkids, but he refused," said Scott. "This is peace through strength on full display. Today, America and the world are a safer place."

'Absence of congressional involvement'

In a post on X, Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose congressional district includes Weston, home to tens of thousands of Venezuelans, celebrated Maduro’s apprehension.

“The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela's people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule,” she said.

“My hope is it offers a passage to true democracy and liberation,” she wrote. “This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González.”

González, the Venezuelan opposition leader, is recognized by several countries as the true winner of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election.
Wasserman Schultz said the Trump administration should have sought congressional authorization before striking Venezuela.

“I’ll demand answers as to why Congress and the American people were bypassed in this effort,” she said. “The absence of congressional involvement prior to this action risks the continuation of the illegitimate Venezuelan regime.”

READ MORE: Venezuela bombing: Were U.S. fighter jet forays a rehearsal for a strike inside the country?

Trump brushed off criticism from U.S. Democratic lawmakers that he did not seek permission from Congress ahead of time and that the strike was illegal.

He called his Democratic critics “weak, stupid people” and blaming his political opponents for inflation in the U.S. He said the operation in Venezuela was “really genius.”

“All they do is complain,” he said of the Democrats.

“They should say, ‘Great job.’ They shouldn’t say, ‘Oh Gee, maybe it’s not constitutional.’ You know, the same old stuff that we’ve been hearing for years and years and years,” Trump said.