LTC 426-2017 Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners Letter inMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
No. 426-2017
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Rafael E. Granado, City Clerk 1�q
DATE: August 15, 2017
SUBJECT: MIAMI-DADE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LETTER IN SUPPORT
OF RESTORING DEMOCRACY TO VENEZUELA.
On August 7, 2017, the Miami Dade Board of County Commissioners passed a Resolution along
with a letter addressed to President Donald J. Trump in reference to the ongoing protest and
current political situation in Venezuela.
County Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz transmitted a similar letter and sample signature page
via email to the City Commission, encouraging the Mayor and City Commissioners to join him by
adding their names to the letter.
County Commissioner Diaz has requested that a copy of this letter and signature page be
provided to the Miami Beach Mayor and Commissioners.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the City Clerk at 305.673.7411
REG/Ih
Enclosures
F:\CLER\$ALL\LILIA\LTC's - Transmittal's\Municipal Letter to Present RE Venezuela LTC.docx
August 10, 2017
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Re: Current Events in Venezuela
Dear Mr. President,
The undersigned elected officials of the Miami -Dade County are writing to convey our position
on recent events in Venezuela. Specifically, we write to:
1. Commend the United States Department of the Treasury's sanctioning of Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro.
2. Condemn the results of the recent election in Venezuela to institute a National Constituent
Assembly.
3. Denounce the Venezuelan government's failure to cooperate with international
counterterrorism efforts.
4. Urge your administration to grant temporary protected status to Venezuelan nationals
living in the United States.
The current crisis in Venezuela is of great importance to the residents of Miami -Dade County.
Miami -Dade County is home to the largest Venezuelan -American community in the United
States and our constituents are troubled by the unfolding of events in Venezuela. Many Miami -
Dade County residents have family members still living under the oppressive conditions
created by the Maduro regime. Because of the magnitude of these issues, the Miami -Dade
County Board of County Commissioners called a special meeting during its summer recess to
consider, discuss, and transmit the attached resolution supporting the above -referenced actions
to be taken to restore democracy to Venezuela.
z
As you know, the sociopolitical climate in Venezuela has only worsened in recent weeks as
President Nicolas Maduro continues his efforts to solidify his power at the expense of the will
of the Venezuelan people. The Maduro regime's silencing and jailing of political opponents,
rampant human rights violations, and overhaul of Venezuela's system of government is at
significant odds with the fundamental values of democracy championed by the United States.
Numerous other democratic nations and American allies across the globe have voiced similar
concerns with the Maduro regime. Further, the U.S. Department of State determined in its
annual Counterterrorism Report that Venezuela was not cooperating fully with U.S.
counterterrorism efforts, noting credible reports that Venezuela maintained a permissive
environment for support of activities benefitting known terrorist groups.
On July 31, 2017, in response to the results of the sham election creating a National Constituent
Assembly designed to abrogate and rewrite the Venezuelan Constitution, the U.S. Treasury
Department sanctioned President Nicolas Maduro, adding him to a list of seven other members
of the Venezuelan government who have been denied access to U.S. financial and commercial
systems. Maduro now joins Bashar al -Assad of Syria, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, and Kim
Jong -un of North Korea as one of only four heads of state across the globe to be sanctioned in
this manner.
The United States is Venezuela's largest trading partner, with an estimated transfer of over
$23.9 billion in goods in 2015 alone. As such, the decisions your administration will make
with respect to the Maduro regime will greatly shape the political and social landscape of
Venezuela for years to come. The crisis in Venezuela has reached historic proportions, but we
believe these issues to be solvable. To that end, we would like to reiterate our support and
commitment to the efforts that have been undertaken to restore democracy to the Venezuelan
people.
Most respectfully,
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