{"id":185011,"date":"2026-03-10T01:11:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T01:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/185011\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T01:11:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T01:11:07","slug":"el-arepazo-venezuelan-community-hub-in-doral-hosts-trump-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/185011\/","title":{"rendered":"El Arepazo, Venezuelan Community Hub in Doral, Hosts Trump Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump visited the Venezuelan restaurant El Arepazo on Monday afternoon, in the heart of the Venezuelan community in the city of Doral, months after its owner said his immigration policies were hurting his business and discouraging Venezuelans from gathering in community spaces.<\/p>\n

The visit, which lasted four minutes, came after a Trump trip to Doral for a multinational military cooperation initiative the administration has dubbed \u201cShield of the Americas.\u201d The summit on Sunday at the Trump National Doral Miami resort brought together Latin American leaders to coordinate regional security cooperation, particularly against drug cartels and transnational crime.<\/p>\n

Several Miami-Dade elected officials were inside El Arepazo during Monday\u2019s visit, including three from Doral: Mayor Christi Fraga; Rafael Pineyro, the only Venezuelan-American member of the Doral City Council, and Councilwoman Nicole Reinoso. Also in attendance were Miami-Dade Elections Supervisor Alina Garcia and Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez.<\/p>\n

Dozens of people lined up outside the restaurant for hours before Trump\u2019s arrival. Many wore Republican Party paraphernalia and expressed support for Trump\u2019s agenda; Venezuelan nationals were a noticeably smaller portion of the crowd, according to people the Miami Herald interviewed.<\/p>\n

\"A A small group of invitees takes cellphone pictures and video of President Donald Trump as upon his arrival during a visit to El Arepazo, a Venezuelan community hub in Doral, for a brief four-minute stop, greeting Republican guests invited to the restaurant on Monday, March 9, 2026, in Doral, Florida. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

One Venezuelan attendee, V\u00edctor Jim\u00e9nez, 58, who described himself as a businessman, was the only person visibly displaying Venezuelan symbols, wearing a tricolor hat and carrying a Venezuelan flag. \u201cI came to thank the president for what he has done for Venezuela, what he is doing with Iran, and what he is going to do for Cuba,\u201d Jim\u00e9nez said.<\/p>\n

Jim\u00e9nez referred to Venezuela\u2019s interim president, Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, who was Nicol\u00e1s Maduro \u2018s vice president before he was snatched by the U.S. military earlier this year, as \u201ca puppet of Donald Trump who is taking orders from Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Jim\u00e9nez, the current leadership in Caracas is temporary \u201cuntil everything is organized in Venezuela to reach the transition,\u201d referring to expected future elections.<\/p>\n

Jim\u00e9nez, who has lived in Doral for the past eight years, said he was part of Venezuelan opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado\u2019s team in the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we clean up the Venezuelan state and get rid of all the garbage in Venezuela \u2014 Diosdado Cabello, [Vladimir] Padrino L\u00f3pez, all the criminals who run the country \u2014 our leader, Mar\u00eda Corina Machado, will lead the country,\u201d Jim\u00e9nez said.<\/p>\n

Another Trump supporter, Gustavo Rodriguez, wearing a Make America Great Again hat, said he attended after being invited by his brother. Rodriguez, who left Venezuela 26 years ago and now works as a dog trainer and chef, said he was happy about recent developments in his homeland.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know there\u2019s still a process of change, so things don\u2019t go completely wild down there\u2026 I think this is the first time we\u2019re seeing light at the end of the tunnel after 26 years,\u201d he said. Rodriguez, 52, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, said he has spent roughly half his life in the United States. He described the U.S. as \u201can incredible country\u201d and said he believed strong leadership was needed so \u201cotherwise everyone takes advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about Trump\u2019s immigration policies \u2014 which have been controversial and are viewed by some Venezuelan residents as harmful to their community \u2014 Rodriguez first expressed support. But he later acknowledged the complexities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really delicate issue,\u201d he said, adding that he believed some immigrants \u201chave taken advantage\u2026. A lot of people shouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d He conceded that such policies might unfairly impact people who are following the rules, but argued that \u201cthese are their rules, and they have to obey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everybody was at the Trump event was there of the county Republican Party, whose chairman, Kevin Cooper was organizing the line to see the president and calling out names from a list.<\/p>\n

THE PEOPLE\u2019S PRESIDENT \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8<\/p>\n

Quick stop at El Arepazo restaurant in Doral, Florida before heading back to Washington D.C. pic.twitter.com\/saqfkw7700<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 9, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

Not every Venezuelan attendee was pleased with the event. Arlet Sosa, who had waited in line for three hours, was not allowed to enter El Arepazo despite having an invitation. She blamed event organizers for not permitting her and others to enter the building, leaving them to wait in the restaurant\u2019s parking lot. Sosa left about an hour before Trump\u2019s arrival.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve supported Trump from the beginning,\u201d Sosa said. She and her husband had invited roughly a dozen Venezuelan businesspeople to attend, including professionals from finance, industry, medicine and academia. None of those invited were allowed inside the restaurant and were kept outside, she said, \u201ccorralled\u201d in the parking lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was supposed to be an event at an iconic Venezuelan place, but none of the Venezuelan businesspeople we invited could get in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A small crowd of fewer than a dozen people gathered outside El Arepazo, hoping to catch a glimpse of Trump. As he entered with the Secret Service, a few onlookers shouted, \u201cWe love you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A A small group of Venezuelans stretch a Venezuelan flag while waiting for President Donald Trump\u2019s arrival as he visited El Arepazo, a Venezuelan restaurant and community hub in Doral, for a brief four-minute stop, greeting Republican guests invited to the restaurant on Monday, March 9, 2026, in Doral, Florida. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

For many Venezuelans in South Florida, El Arepazo, beyond offering nostalgic food and familiar flavors, has long served as a gathering place for protests, vigils and calls to protect Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans living in the United States, especially after changes to immigration policy created fear and uncertainty among the community.<\/p>\n

Advocates and residents have rallied outside the restaurant to urge lawmakers to preserve those protections. And on the early morning of Jan. 3, hundreds of Venezuelans gathered there to celebrate, chanting and waving flags, after reports spread that Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces.<\/p>\n

In fact, the owner of Arepazo Alexis Mogollon, a Venezuelan immigrant who has lived in the United States for 40 years, in an interview with media personality Jorge Ramos on Sept. 19, said the business had been struggling because of the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown on Venezuelans during the controversy surrounding the possible end of TPS. Mogollon said sales at Arepazo had fallen 68.3% since March of 2025.<\/p>\n

Mogollon, who has owned the restaurant since 2010, said then that he attributed the decline in sales in his business to the immigration crackdown, saying many Venezuelans had become afraid to visit Venezuelan restaurants because they feared immigration raids.<\/p>\n

At the time, Mogollon said the business was surviving largely because the restaurant operates alongside a gas station and because he owns other small businesses next door. The family has also relied on savings accumulated during more profitable years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re battling with the savings we built over the years when the business was successful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mogollon also said he had supported Trump in the past but felt disappointed by the impact of the immigration policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cI voted for Trump because I believed things could improve for businesses,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I never imagined what is happening now with the immigration crackdown. I\u2019m disillusioned. There are so many good people, so many Venezuelans who work hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s visit to the restaurant comes at a moment when immigration enforcement and the future of protections for Venezuelan migrants remain contentious issues within the Venezuelan community in the U.S.<\/p>\n

While many Venezuelans have celebrated the removal of Maduro from power, some remain cautious about the political future of their country and the role of interim president Delcy Rodr\u00edguez.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 7:52 PM.<\/p>\n