Statement from Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez on the Capture of Communist and Socialist Assassin Nicolás Maduro and the End of Venezuela’s Criminal Dictatorship

In the early morning hours of January 3rd, the United States of America successfully carried out a large-scale operation targeting criminal leadership operating from Venezuela. As announced by President Donald J. Trump, the operation resulted in the capture of narco-terrorist, communist, and socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who were taken into custody and flown out of the country. The operation was conducted in coordination with United States law enforcement. Additional details will be provided by the President.

This operation was not directed against Venezuela or its people. It was directed against the criminal networks, cartels, and corrupt officials who hijacked the Venezuelan state and turned it into a platform for drug trafficking, corruption, and transnational crime that has harmed communities across the hemisphere, including here in the United States.

For nearly twenty-seven years, a dictatorship rooted in communism and socialism has dismantled democratic institutions, destroyed the economy, and forced millions of Venezuelans to flee their homeland. With the backing and guidance of the Cuban regime, this leadership enabled narco-terrorist and cartel-linked operations to function with impunity, strengthening networks that traffic drugs, launder money, and spread violence far beyond Venezuela’s borders.

Now the time has come for Cuba. They are the root of everything that has happened in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and now Colombia. It is time for the Castro communist and socialist assassin regime to be held accountable as well, and for the Cuban people to finally be free.

Here in Miami-Dade County, we understand what this moment represents. Our community is home to thousands of Venezuelan families who escaped repression in search of freedom and opportunity. They know the cost of dictatorship firsthand, and they know that criminal regimes do not remain contained within their borders.

This operation marks a decisive step toward ending the criminal control that has suffocated Venezuela for decades. It is aimed at dismantling the structures of corruption and violence, not at the Venezuelan people, who deserve democracy, dignity, and the right to determine their own future.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the brave men and women whose heroic and swift actions made this operation possible. Their courage, discipline, and professionalism reflect the very best of our nation.

We pray for the continued safety of our troops and law enforcement personnel, for the people of Venezuela as they begin a long-awaited path toward freedom, and for the leadership of Donald J. Trump as he works to protect the United States of America.

May God protect our soldiers and law enforcement, and may God bless the United States of America.

Dariel Fernandez

Tax Collector, Miami-Dade County