DORAL, Fla. – Today, Senator Rick Scott led a press conference in Doral following the successful arrest of Venezuelan narco-terrorist and dictator Nicolás Maduro thanks to the Trump administration’s decisive actions to deliver freedom and democracy in Venezuela. This follows Senator Scott’s years -long efforts standing alongside the Venezuelan people in their fight for freedom and democracy against the illegitimate regime led by Nicolás Maduro and his thugs.

Senator Rick Scott said, “It’s incredible to see the community come together with such excitement for the future of Venezuela. For years now, I have been fighting alongside the people of Venezuela as they fought for freedom and this is a new day, a new opportunity to achieve that. I’d like to thank President Trump, Secretary Rubio, Secretary Hegseth for their incredible feat to finally arrest Nicolás Maduro and ensure he can face justice here in the United States. This is a clear example of Trump’s peace through strength agenda in action.

“Nicolás Maduro is an evil drug trafficker and cartel leader who was sending drugs into our nation and killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, and stolen freedom and resources from the people of Venezuela for years. Now, the people of Venezuela are closer than ever to peace and freedom thanks to the actions of President Trump and incredible fighters like María Corina Machado and Edmundo González. From day one, President Trump has held Maduro accountable -- cutting off his resources, reversing Biden’s appeasement policies and oil license, designating violent cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and initiating targeted strikes to stop the flow of drugs across our border. The world will be better off now that Maduro is out of power. I am proud to stand with the Venezuelan people and all of Latin America in celebrating this momentous occasion.”

Senator Scott has fought as Governor and Senator to hold Maduro accountable and bring freedom to Venezuela.

As Governor, Senator Scott worked to ban the state’s pension system from investing in companies that do business with the Maduro regime and worked to codify into law this ban and further, prohibiting any state agency from doing business to ensure that no tax dollars were spent to benefit the Maduro regime’s brutality. Then-governor Scott also met consistently with exiled Venezuelan leaders and pro-democracy and human rights advocacy groups to call on the U.S. federal government and Congress to impose heavier sanctions and take swift action against Maduro and his gang of thugs threatening Venezuelan families.

As Senator, he has:

• Welcomed Venezuela’s rightful President Edmundo González as his guest to President Trump’s Inauguration
• Led a meeting with President-Elect Edmundo González on the fight for Venezuela’s freedom
• Introduced legislation, including the:
• Venezuela Advancing Liberty, Opportunity, and Rights (VALOR) Act;
• Securing Timely Opportunities for Payment and Maximizing Awards for Detaining Unlawful Regime Officials (STOP MADURO) Act;
• Banning Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime (BOLIVAR) Act; and the
• Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Reauthorization Act.
• Advocated for solutions to issues affecting Florida’s Venezuelan community, including:
• Introducing a resolution which recognized María Corina Machado as Venezuela’s official President Opposition candidate;
• Introduced a resolution honoring María Corina following her recognition with the Nobel Peace Prize;
• Contacted then-Secretary of State Blinken requesting he protect American hostages and stand up for freedom and democracy in Venezuela;
• Joined colleagues on a letter to then-President Biden demanding he formally designate Tren de Aragua as a Transnational Criminal Organization;
• Sent a letter to President Trump encouraging his administration to build on his prior work designating Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization by also designating Cartel de los Soles and La Dirección General de Contrainteligencia Militar as foreign terrorist organizations;
• Sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio applauding his work and urged the continued maximum pressure on the Maduro regime; and
• Joined the Venezuelan community in Tampa for a rally in support of freedom and democracy in Venezuela and against the illegitimate, criminal regime of Nicolás Maduro.

Read more on Senator Scott’s efforts standing up for Venezuela’s fight for freedom and democracy HERE.

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