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Former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has been closely watching the situation after the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and outlined what needs to happen next for Cuba to transition away from its socialist grip.
“As the Secretary of State said, I would not be the president of Cuba or any Cuban official sleeping well at night, knowing what I just saw in Venezuela,” Suarez said on “Varney & Co.” Wednesday.
“The first thing that has to happen, of course, and I think what the president and what the secretary of state is focused on, is step two in Venezuela — making sure that this military law enforcement operation is followed through with the leverage that the United States can apply to hopefully have a quick and peaceful democratic transition in Venezuela, which lays the groundwork for other activities that the United States might take.”
VENEZUELA’S FALL ECHOES BERLIN WALL COLLAPSE, SAYS EXPERT WHOSE PARENTS FLED SOVIET UNION
On Sunday, President Donald Trump predicted Cuba was “ready to fall” after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, warning that Havana could no longer rely on Caracas for security and oil.
Trump said Cuba’s fate is now directly tied to Maduro’s ouster and the collapse of Venezuela’s ability to bankroll its allies in the region.
When asked if he was considering U.S. action in Cuba, Trump replied, “I think it’s just going to fall. I don’t think we need any action. Looks like it’s going down. It’s going down for the count.”
The Miami metropolitan area is home to the largest concentration of Venezuelans in the United States with about 174,000 Venezuelan immigrant and approximately 2 million Cubans, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.
“I think, first of all, for people like me, who [were] born in the United States … I was the first Miami-born mayor in the history of the city. My father was the first Cuban mayor. It’ll be an opportunity for us to actually see the place of our parents’ birth,” Suarez said.
“I’ve actually never been to Cuba. I’ve never seen Cuba. So, I think, for many Miamians, they’re gonna take advantage of the opportunity if there’s a democratic transition in Cuba to go see it, right? And, certainly, I think it’s gonna help the Cuban economy if and when that happens.”
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Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
