Drew Dixon
Sens. Ashley Moody and Rick Scott are taking measures to ratchet up pressure on Venezuelan leaders to secure the release of Americans being held hostage in the South American nation.
The two U.S. lawmakers from Florida co-authored a letter they drafted and sent to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio this month. The communiqué urges Rubio to launch a campaign of increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to secure the release of those Americans in the country who have been taken captive by “criminal organizations.”
“We cannot lose sight of at least eight other American citizens who remain detained and the broader fight for freedom and democracy in Venezuela. Nor can we ignore the ongoing suffering of the Venezuelan people under this oppressive regime,” the Senators said in their letter to America’s top diplomat.
The two lawmakers also take jabs at the presidential administrations of Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden and what they describe as “appeasement policies.” But they also were effusive toward President Donald Trump and his “legacy of holding tyrannical dictators accountable.”
The situation with the eight Americans currently being held captive in Venezuela is complex. The Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, is believed to be holding the hostages that Moody and Scott seek to get released. They praised Trump for designating that group as a terrorist organization.
Meanwhile, Americans are being held by government operatives whom the Venezuelan government has linked to alleged plots to destabilize the country. Scott and Moody say they want those government organizations also designated as terrorist operatives.
“It is my hope that the administration is considering adding Cartel de los Soles, and La Direccion General de Contrainteligencia Militar (DGCIM) (General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence of the Government of Venezuela) to the list of terrorist organizations,” the letter said.
Both Senators agree that the Trump administration should not hold back on a pressure campaign to free any American being held in Venezuela.
“I encourage the Department of State to continue using any and all appropriate measures to bring home those who remain unjustly detained by Maduro’s criminal regime. Every American detained abroad deserves the full support of their government, and we must act decisively to ensure their safe return,” the letter stated.
Early into the Trump administration this year, a special envoy for the President managed to secure the release of half a dozen Americans after meetings with Maduro.
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Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. Republished with permission.
