Senator Rick Scott joins Venezuelan leaders to rally for freedom and democracy

Sen. Rick Scott rallies for Venezuelan democracy

FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - U.S. Senator Rick Scott joined Venezuelan community leaders in Tampa for a rally Thursday, reiterating his mission to help fight for freedom and democracy in Venezuela.

"We have to think about all the people, especially in Latin America, that have lost their freedom," Scott said. "There's a lot of people we have in our state, thankfully, for us. Unfortunately, for their families back in Venezuela, [they] have had to leave because of [Nicolas] Maduro."

The backstory:

Since 2019, the United States has not recognized Nicolás Maduro as the president of Venezuela. Additionally, the U.S. and other countries have refused to acknowledge Maduro as the legitimate winner of the 2024 presidential election.

In 2020, Maduro was charged in a Southern District of New York federal indictment for narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices.

The Department of State is currently offering millions of dollars in reward money for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.

Big picture view:

It’s estimated that hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the Maduro regime and are in the U.S. under "temporary protected status,"or TPS, from the Biden administration. TPS is a program that allows temporary immigration status to eligible, foreign-born individuals who are unable to return home safely.

READ: Salvadoran President Bukele proposes prisoner swap with Maduro for Venezuelan deportees

This year, the Trump administration has made moves to revoke TPS for Venezuelans, arguing that those who arrived more recently are not true victims of persecution. However, these motions have faced court challenges.

Local perspective:

Scott held his rally at eSmart Recycling in Tampa, a business founded by Tony Selvaggio, a Venezuelan-American.

"My parents worked their entire lives to build a future in Venezuela, a country we love," Selvaggio said. "But in 2017, with little more than a suitcase and a hope for safety, they left everything behind. In 2018, I became a U.S. citizen and was finally able to reunite our family."

On Thursday, Scott was asked about Venezuelans who are worried about TPS ending.

"I'm going to fight every day to make sure that they continue to be able to stay here. As you know, Donald Trump did deferred action when he was president. I fought to make sure we got TPS done," Scott said. "Unfortunately, what Biden did is, he messed up the whole immigration system by just completely opening the border."

"So we've got to continue to fight for the freedom of people that are here because they can't go back, but that doesn't include the thugs. Doesn’t include Maduro’s criminals," Scott finished.

The Source: FOX 13’s Ariel Plasencia collected the information in this story.

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