Texts reveal dark underbelly of Miami politics and accountability must go beyond FIU | Opinion

The racist, antisemitic and sexist texts revealed Wednesday in a group chat primarily for Miami conservative college students — and tied to leaders in the Miami-Dade Republican Party — are beyond sickening.

Prolific use of the N-word. Descriptions of violent deaths imagined for Black people, including crucifying, beheading and dissecting people. Use of Nazi terminology. Casual slurs tossed around against Jews. Words of anger and intolerance and white supremacy like “mongrel” and “half-breed.” Women were repeatedly called “whores.” All of that was in just 2 1/2 weeks’ worth of chats that Miami Herald reporters were able to see.

Top conservative leaders at Florida International University were involved, the Herald reported: the county GOP secretary, FIU’s Turning Point USA chapter president and the former College Republicans recruitment chair.

“If this chat gets leaked we’re so cooked lmao,” messaged Dariel Gonzalez, the College Republicans’ recruitment chairman at the time.

If there’s any justice, absolutely.

Reportedly, there is a criminal investigation at FIU, so some records are private. FIU President Jeanette Nuñez said Thursday that the university’s civil rights office and the office of academic integrity also are investigating. “FIU does not and will not tolerate violence, hate, discrimination, harassment, racism or antisemitism. This is not who we are. This is not what FIU stands for,” she said.

Nuñez, who has been president since last June, is Gov. Ron DeSantis’ former lieutenant governor. She was a member of the Florida House and is a top Republican in Florida. What she says matters beyond FIU and Miami.

The chat uncovered a stream of deep-seated bigotry in our midst. It is a danger to democracy and civilized society, and it must be rooted out now. Nuñez must continue to denounce this — loudly, fully and as many times as it takes.

That’s in addition to the GOP, of course. Miami GOP Secretary Abel Alexander Carvajal started the group chat, as the Miami Herald reported, and participated in chats occasionally but didn’t shut the chat down. He told the Herald that he started the group chat after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed.

“My biggest regret is that in doing that, I facilitated this kind of deranged stuff being out there,” Carvajal said. “I’m at a loss of words.”

Miami-Dade Republican Party Chair Kevin Cooper wasn’t: He called the chat “reprehensible and completely inconsistent with the values of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County” and said that Carvajal should resign.

That’s a start, but the GOP also needs to engage in some soul-searching. What political environment made these conservative students comfortable to write and send racial slurs in a chat?

This is not an isolated incident. Last year, a Politico investigation exposed Telegram messages exchanged by Young Republicans leaders throughout the country filled with similar bigotry. Four years ago, the New York Times reported that members of the Proud Boys, an extremist group, served on the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee. More recently, James Fishback, a political novice who uses racist and white supremacy rhetoric, decided to run for Florida governor. Although he’s got little chance in the GOP primary, a recent University of North Florida poll shows he has support among young voters.

Extremists, of course, are a minority of the Republican Party. We should not confuse conservatism with bigotry.

But it’s undeniable that the party’s platform in recent years — especially since Donald Trump returned to office — has focused heavily on culture war issues surrounding race, with measures to end diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and stop “woke” ideology. Florida, in particular, has scared teachers and professors into avoiding classroom discussions about race because they might offend white students.

A bill being heard in Tallahassee would ban local governments from promoting and funding DEI. Even Republican local officials have warned that the legislation is so broad it would put into question whether they can, for example, partner with a Hispanic chamber of commerce or sponsor a Jewish film festival.

That’s why, in a state that has taken the fight against “woke” to an extreme, what Republican and education leaders say right now matters. If we have any hope of arresting the rising tide of bigotry in Florida, this is the moment for full accountability.

This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 3:37 PM.