DORAL, Fla. \u2014 Members of South Florida\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I got the phone call early Saturday morning from Marco Rubio, I was ecstatic,\u201d U.S. Sen Rick Scott, R-Florida, said. \u201cWhen he said Maduro had been captured and was on the boat, what a great day.\u201d<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen President Trump says he\u2019s gonna do something, he\u2019s actually going to do something,\u201d Gimenez said.<\/p>\n
The lawmakers also thanked opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, saying she will at some point be a part of the country\u2019s leadership as it now transitions to a democracy. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s been a fighter forever; if it hadn\u2019t been for what she was willing to do and others, we also wouldn\u2019t be here,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n
Gimenez said he was not happy with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, a member of Maduro\u2019s socialist party, leading Venezuela, but he said the U.S.\u2019s main priority is ensuring there\u2019s 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\u2019ll face a similar fate to Maduro.<\/p>\n
He put other Latin American countries with authoritarian governments on alert \u2014 including Cuba \u2014 whose current leaders, he says, are watching very closely. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re shuddering a little bit, if you\u2019re scared in Cuba, I think you should be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Scott was asked about TPS on Monday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst off, here\u2019s what\u2019s going to happen: We\u2019re going to go through a transition. I think Carlos said this, there\u2019s not a direct path to get to a democracy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t commit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI support making sure Venezuelans have the opportunity to be here until it\u2019s safe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/p>\n
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