Miami-Dade’s Democratic mayor ‘concerned’ by Trump’s military attack in Venezuela

The Democratic mayor of Miami-Dade County on Saturday said she was concerned about President Donald Trump’s “military aggression” in Venezuela and called on his administration to reverse its crackdown on legal Venezuelan migrants living in Miami and beyond.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, now in her second term as Miami-Dade’s leading Democrat, criticized Trump for bypassing congressional leaders in launching multiple military strikes against Venezuela while U.S. troops seized the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, to bring them to New York on federal drug charges.

“I am concerned about how this was carried out, and the display of military aggression by the United States raises serious questions about what the U.S. President intends to do in the days to come” Levine Cava said in a statement released by her office. She said “taking military action without congressional approval or bipartisan briefings is deeply concerning, as a precedent has been set.”

The statement was a mirror image of the praise coming from Miami Republicans on the military attack and capture operation announced by Trump early on Saturday. Levine Cava’s Republican predecessor in the mayor’s office, Rep. Carlos Gimenez, called the seizure of Maduro the western hemisphere’s “equivalent of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.”

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Miami-Dade is home to the largest Venezuelan population in the United States, making Miami a key window into the partisan divide over the Trump strikes and Maduro seizure.

The city’s newly elected Democratic mayor, Eileen Higgins, issued a statement that stopped short of criticism or praise of the strikes. “This morning’s developments in Venezuela have prompted celebration and strong emotions without our community, particularly among our Venezuelan neighbors who have waited decades for a moment of hope,” Higgins said in a statement released by the city. “The City of Miami stands in solidarity with the Venezuelan community at this time.”

Higgins, a former county commissioner, did join Levine Cava in directly criticizing Trump on his crackdown on legal Venezuelan migrants who saw their temporary protective status — or “TPS” — revoked by the Trump administration, which declared Venezuela safe enough for residents to return.

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“The elimination of Temporary Protected Status earlier this year was reckless, dangerous and wrong,” Higgins said. “I am calling on President Trump to immediately reinstate Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan residents.”

In her statement, Levine Cava also cited TPS in calling for the Trump administration to make it easier for Venezuelans to remain in the United States. “I also remain deeply concerned about the Trump Administration’s continued efforts to deny legal pathways for Venezuelans seeking immigration status in the United States,” she said. “My heart has been and will always be with our Venezuelan brothers and sisters, and I’m praying for the safety of innocent people and for the day Venezuela can reclaim its democracy and full freedom.”

Other Democratic office holders from the Miami released statements on the Venezuela strikes.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, who represents parts of Broward, criticized Trump for not consulting Congress before the strikes but called the seizure of Maduro “welcome news” for local residents who flew Venezuela.

“The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela’s people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule,” she said. “However, cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows. Venezuelans deserve the promise of democracy and the rule of law, not a state of endless violence and spiraling disorder.“

Nikki Fried, chair of Florida’s Democratic Party who got her start as a lobbyist and lawyer in Broward, said she hoped “the moment opens a real path to democracy for the Venezuelan people.” But Fried also condemned the attacks. “Let’s be clear: this appears far more about oil than about democracy or regional stability. Trump lied and repeated promises to avoid new wars and to put American interests first, now it will be oil companies and billionaires who will see the benefits — not the American people”

Miami-Dade Commissioner Kionne McGhee, a former minority leader in the Florida House, had no critical words in his statement Saturday. “Today marks a turning point for Venezuela,” he said. “This moment is not just a headline — it’s a door opening for families to live without intimidation.”

Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones, who represents the Miami Gardens area, said conducting the military strikes without congressional approval was unacceptable. “The administration’s plans must include a clear path to restoring Venezuela, and my hope is that the country is not being used as a political pawn,” he said.

This story was originally published January 3, 2026 at 12:22 PM.