{"id":71458,"date":"2025-12-04T19:32:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T19:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/71458\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T19:32:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T19:32:10","slug":"as-america-says-no-to-war-this-miami-suburb-clamors-for-maduros-ouster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/71458\/","title":{"rendered":"As America Says No to War, This Miami Suburb Clamors for Maduro\u2019s Ouster"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Doral, a suburb just west of Miami<\/a> where nearly 40 percent of residents trace their roots to Venezuela<\/a>, a bust of Sim\u00f3n Bol\u00edvar sits mostly unnoticed beside a strip mall parking lot, one block from the popular caf\u00e9 El Arepazo. Bol\u00edvar, the 19th-century independence hero, has long been claimed by Venezuela\u2019s socialist regime as the ideological father of its \u201cBolivarian Revolution.\u201d But in Doral\u2014often dubbed \u201cDoralzuela\u201d\u2014exiles have tried to reclaim him as their own.<\/p>\n

The city is part of a much larger diaspora: more than 545,000 Venezuelan-born residents now live in the United States, according to U.S. Census estimates. About one-fifth of them are concentrated in Florida<\/a>, but Doral has become more than a hub\u2014it\u2019s a kind of exile capital, where politics spill over into everyday life.<\/p>\n

Inside El Arepazo, one of the city\u2019s best-known gathering spots, the energy has shifted. The tables where exiles once argued over elections and strategies for change now feel subdued. Near the entrance hangs a poster of Venezuelan opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in November<\/a>. No one points to it. No one brings her up. Conversations have turned elsewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Staff glance up when unfamiliar faces enter. \u201cPeople just don\u2019t talk anymore,\u201d one employee told Newsweek. \u201cThey look around before answering even small questions.\u201d Some regulars have stopped coming altogether\u2014and when they do, it\u2019s just to watch the Real Madrid matches. Many fear that speaking openly about Venezuela could endanger relatives or jeopardize their immigration cases, especially after President Trump’s rollbacks of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS \u2014a program that lets eligible migrants live and work legally in the U.S.\u2014and humanitarian parole.<\/p>\n

That silence has deepened over the past month, as Trump<\/a> intensified military operations in the Caribbean<\/a>. On Tuesday, he announced that land strikes on Venezuelan targets would begin \u201cvery soon,\u201d marking the sharpest escalation yet in a campaign that has already included weeks of covert naval maneuvers and more than 20 boat strikes<\/a>\u2014operations the White House says are targeting drug routes protected by Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s regime.<\/p>\n

Most Americans don\u2019t seem convinced about this growing drumbeat of war. National polls show broad opposition to military intervention in Venezuela. A CBS News\/YouGov poll released November 23 found that most Americans disapprove of military strikes in Venezuela, citing doubts over whether they would reduce drug trafficking or improve U.S. security.<\/p>\n

But in Doral, the sentiment is starkly different. Many see the escalation not just as justified\u2014but long overdue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve tried everything,\u201d said one man outside El Arepazo, who declined to give his name. \u201cWe voted. We marched. We begged. Nothing changed.\u201d For many Venezuelan exiles in the city, Trump\u2019s threat isn\u2019t seen as provocation. It\u2019s viewed as the last remaining option.<\/p>\n

Eduardo Gamarra, a political science professor at Florida International University who has tracked Latino voting trends for over three decades, said the divide reflects the diaspora’s lived experience. \u201cThere\u2019s a segment that still believes Trump and Rubio were serious when they said the goal was to topple Maduro,\u201d Gamarra told Newsweek.<\/p>\n

Backing Trump, Despite the Past<\/p>\n

Even as legal protections unravel and fear grows across immigrant neighborhoods<\/a>, many Venezuelans in South Florida still view Trump as their best\u2014and perhaps only\u2014hope to oust Maduro. That contradiction doesn\u2019t erode their support. It complicates it.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s threat of military action has rekindled support among those who believe regime change is long overdue. \u201cEven if he hurt us with TPS<\/a>, if he gets rid of Maduro, we\u2019ll forgive him,\u201d said Felipe, a longtime Doral resident and former Trump campaign volunteer now facing possible deportation. He said the sentiment is common in a city where Trump flags once bloomed across lawns and pro-Trump caravans jammed streets during the 2024 election<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s message of anti-socialism, especially when paired with the idea of using force against Maduro, resonated with the older Venezuelan electorate in a way no other candidate could,\u201d Gamarra said. \u201cHe became the symbolic figure of the fight against Chavismo [the socialist political ideology associated with Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez].\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, repression inside Venezuela has only intensified. According to the human rights group Foro Penal, more than 800 people remain imprisoned for political reasons, and over 18,000 have been detained arbitrarily since 2014. Even private messages criticizing the government have led to lengthy prison sentences under Venezuela\u2019s sweeping anti-hate laws.<\/p>\n

For many exiles watching from afar, that escalating crackdown only deepens the urgency. Even voters burned by past promises<\/a>\u2014Trump\u2019s failed embrace of opposition leader Juan Guaid\u00f3, the rollback of TPS, or stalled sanctions\u2014cling to a belief that this time will be different. \u201cThere\u2019s disappointment, yes,\u201d said one longtime Doral resident. \u201cBut there\u2019s also trust. We think he\u2019s the only one who has the guts to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

That loyalty runs deep. In 2024, Trump won more than 60 percent of the vote in Doral, helping flip Miami-Dade County red for the first time since 1988. His promises to \u201ccrush socialism\u201d and \u201cliberate Venezuela\u201d electrified Venezuelan voters, who mobilized with rallies, caravans and lawn signs in ways that set them apart from other conservative Latino blocs in Florida.<\/p>\n

And by November, according to FIU\u2019s latest survey, half of Trump\u2019s Venezuelan supporters in Florida still stand by their vote, bolstered by his recent stance on Venezuela.<\/p>\n

‘Not Like Us’<\/p>\n

The political divide among the exiles of Doral runs deep, rooted in the timelines of departure and the reasons people left in the first place.<\/p>\n

Two waves of Venezuelan migration have shaped this community. The first began in the early 2000s as Ch\u00e1vez consolidated power. Many who fled during that period were part of the professional class\u2014lawyers, business owners, engineers\u2014with the resources and documentation to resettle through legal channels. They became homeowners, built businesses and aligned quickly with South Florida\u2019s Republican establishment. Their opposition to Chavismo was unwavering\u2014shaped by the sense of what they lost and what they rebuilt.<\/p>\n

A second, larger wave followed in the wake of Venezuela\u2019s economic collapse<\/a> under the Maduro regime. This migration was born not from politics but desperation. Venezuela’s GDP has contracted by more than 80 percent since Maduro took office in 2013, according to the International Monetary Fund. As food shortages, hyperinflation and state violence spiraled, families fled in droves. Many arrived without papers or long-term visas, relying instead on temporary measures like TPS or humanitarian parole. They were younger, often working class, and took up the jobs that now sustain much of South Florida\u2019s service economy\u2014construction, delivery, restaurant work.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The gap between the two groups remains visible, and at times, tense. In interviews and focus groups conducted by Gamarra\u2019s team, earlier arrivals often draw sharp distinctions. \u201cThey\u2019re not like us,\u201d some said\u2014describing the newcomers as less educated or, in some cases, suggesting they had once supported the very regime they later escaped.<\/p>\n

According to FIU data<\/a>, roughly 70 percent of Venezuelan Americans in Doral arrived before 2014\u2014most during the early Ch\u00e1vez years\u2014and it is this group that now forms the backbone of Trump\u2019s support. Many no longer rely on immigration protections like TPS or humanitarian parole. In fact, some openly support ending those programs, arguing they\u2019ve been misused or abused by newer arrivals.<\/p>\n

But for those who came more recently, the rollback of those protections has been nothing short of devastating<\/a>. Trump\u2019s post-election decision to cancel TPS and parole for Venezuelan migrants stripped legal safeguards for hundreds of thousands. At the time, more than 320,000 Venezuelans across the U.S.\u2014many of them in Florida\u2014were living under those temporary protections, according to Department of Homeland Security estimates.<\/p>\n

Among these newer arrivals, the mood is different. Many are more cautious\u2014worried both about family back home and the impact of losing legal protections\u2014and their support for Trump is softer than that of earlier exiles.<\/p>\n

‘The shot clock is running’<\/p>\n

Not everyone in Doral is convinced that regime change is imminent. For all the support Trump commands, doubts linger. \u201cWe\u2019ve heard this story before. What if this is just another show? What if we\u2019re left with nothing\u2014again?\u201d said Victor, a 34-year-old Uber driver and asylum seeker.<\/p>\n

Military analysts say time is running short<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s no strategic rationale for sending the [USS Gerald R.] Ford to the region unless it\u2019s intended for use,\u201d said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in an interview with Newsweek. \u201cThe shot clock is now running. They\u2019ll either need to act or redeploy it, and pulling back would amount to backing off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump recently designated the Cartel of the Suns\u2014a shadowy network of military-linked traffickers\u2014as a foreign terrorist organization, paving the way for expanded U.S. military authority in the region. The move, while largely symbolic, lays legal groundwork for targeted strikes beyond traditional anti-narcotics operations.<\/p>\n

\"Trump<\/p>\n

Such uncertainty is familiar to many in Doral who feel bruised by memories of broken promises. They recall the fanfare around Guaid\u00f3\u2019s rise, his White House visits, the bipartisan ovation at the State of the Union. Then came sanctions, more speeches, a new election<\/a>, and eventually, silence. \u201cVenezuelans haven\u2019t forgotten what happened last time,\u201d Gamarra said. \u201cThey were promised protection, support, regime change. Instead, they saw deals, delays, and now\u2014deportations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida GOP Representative Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar, one of Venezuela’s most vocal critics in Congress, framed the administration\u2019s latest moves as a necessary correction. \u201cThanks to Trump, who has the internal fortitude to do what\u2019s right,\u201d she told Newsweek. Still, she acknowledged the weight of the moment. \u201cWe are in a battle for the Western Hemisphere,\u201d said Salazar, a Cuban-American and former news anchor. \u201cAnd the people of Venezuela are watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Doral, many are more than watching. They are waiting for what comes next. An armada of U.S. warships sit just off their homeland\u2019s coast. And in the city that many Venezuelans now call home, some believe those ships could finally bring the change they\u2019ve long hoped for. But they also know it could come with a cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family is still there. I can\u2019t say anything. Not even in the U.S.,\u201d said a woman inside El Arepazo, declining to give her name.<\/p>\n

Fear continues to shape daily life for those with relatives in Caracas, as well as for anyone wary of drawing attention to their immigration status. Still, many support the military buildup. While much of the U.S. views the warships as a provocation\u2014or the start of another overseas quagmire\u2014in this city shaped by exile, they\u2019re seen differently: the only option left.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Doral, a suburb just west of Miami where nearly 40 percent of residents trace their roots to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":71459,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[41057,409,28,41058,3446,5880,123,125,124,4389,4219,31201,4390],"class_list":["post-71458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-2024-election","tag-donald-trump","tag-florida","tag-for-members","tag-latin-america","tag-maria-corina-machado","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-nicolas-maduro","tag-republicans","tag-tps","tag-venezuela"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}