President Maduro of Venezuela caught headlines on Monday by threatening to “liberate” Puerto Rico from the United States. Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico quickly called on President-elect Donald Trump to take action on the threats. “I trust your incoming administration will swiftly respond and make clear to the Maduro regime that, under your leadership, the United States will protect American lives and sovereignty and will not bow down to the threats of petty, murderous dictators,” she wrote.
Yesterday, congressional representatives also weighed in.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) wrote on Facebook, “I congratulate the Governor Jenniffer González Colón for her leadership in condemning the absurd and pathetic threats of the dictator of Venezuela to Puerto Rico, who clings desperately to illegitimate power.”
On X, Rep. Diaz-Balart warned Maduro that “in less than a week, a new foreign policy will begin where freedom and U.S. national security interests are paramount. Friends will be treated as friends, and adversaries as adversaries. Maduro’s days are numbered. If the dictator in Venezuela does not want to end up like other dictators Mussolini and Gaddafi, he should leave Venezuela without delay.”
Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) asserted on X that “We will not tolerate any threats to invade my family’s native island of Puerto Rico.”
Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL) rounded out the Florida contingent on X, saying, “Maduro’s a brutal dictator who imprisons & kills his opposition. Now, he has the audacity to threaten Puerto Rico & American national security. We must support Venezuelans fighting for freedom & hold Cuba, China, Russia & Iran accountable for propping up this murderous regime.”
Chiming in from the New York delegation, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) saidon X that “[t]hreats against American citizens must not be tolerated, particularly when they come from an unelected, illegitimate, and authoritarian leader. If Trump truly believes in peace through strength, he must make it clear to Maduro that we protect the people of Puerto Rico.”
Puerto Rico’s representative
Puerto Rico’s new Resident Commissioner, Pablo Jose Hernandez, offered remarks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives: “As Puerto Rico’s Representative before the United States government, I want to let Mr. Maduro know: an overwhelming majority of Puerto Ricans support a relationship of permanent union or permanent association with the United States, be that as a state or as a commonwealth. That same overwhelming majority also defends the right of a respectable patriotic minority to advocate and fight for the island’s independence though peaceful and democratic means. That respect for differing views is a hallmark of our democratic values, something Mr. Maduro clearly does not understand. Mr. Maduro, the future of Puerto Rico will be decided by Puerto Ricans in a peaceful and democratic manner, the same way that the future of Venezuela should be decided by the Venezuelan people in a peaceful and democratic manner.”
