Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio is passionate about the collapse of socialism in Venezuela, so much so that he rode down to the border staging point for U.S. aid to Venezuela in Cucuta, Columbia, on Sunday and personally warned the Venezuelan soldiers loyal to former socialist President Nicholas Maduro not to stand in the way of the aid being given to the Venezuelan people.
According to ABC News, Rubio warned Maduro loyalists that preventing aid from reaching the people would be a “crime against humanity” and that those who opposed it would spend “the rest of their lives hiding from justice”:
Maduro Is using troops to block the aid from entering, saying it is not needed and is part of a U.S.-orchestrated attempt to overthrow him.
Rubio warned Venezuelan soldiers that blocking aid would be an international “crime against humanity.” He said in Spanish that soldiers who keep aid shipments from entering would spend “the rest of their lives hiding from justice.”
But those who renounce Maduro have been promised amnesty by Guaido and the opposition-dominated congress, although few soldiers have accepted that promised.
Rubio posted various photos of his trip to the Venezuelan border.
Now visiting the Simón Bolívar Bridge with members of the democratically elected National Assembly, @LesterToledo and @gabyarellano. Two sister nations divided by the Simón Bolívar bridge will soon re-unite. pic.twitter.com/KdtKkCLxLC
— Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) February 17, 2019
Met with members of the democratically elected @AsambleaVE: @LesterToledo, @gabyarellanoVE, & @joseolivaresm. Discussed delivery of aid, organizing free & fair elections, & reconstruction of #Venezuela after #Maduro & his thugs are gone. Told them to not lose hope. pic.twitter.com/DXdjicCPXW
— Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) February 17, 2019
Estoy en las instalaciones de @USAID en Cúcuta, Colombia. Tenemos más de 300 toneladas de alimentos y medicamentos listos para ser entregados al pueblo #venezolano. La #FamiliaCriminalDeMaduro hace todo lo posible para que esta ayuda no llegue a su gente. Esto es pura maldad. pic.twitter.com/YrOPh2zka1
— Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) February 17, 2019
Photo Credit: Fernando Vergara (AP) pic.twitter.com/WZshe1idp0
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 18, 2019
At the border with @MarioDB & @AmbCTrujillo. Those containers behind us were put there by a terrorist, criminal regime. It isn't going to work. Food and medicine will reach the people of #Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/mbw6QIIIAe
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 17, 2019
Venezuelan citizens reportedly enthusiastically cheered Rubio on, shouting “Rubio! Liberty” as he held a news conference in sight of a border bridge.
According to ABC, the aid is meant to help overthrow Maduro, the now-defunct leader of Venezuela, who lost his position after the Venezuelan Assembly voted to make Juan Guaido its new official leader. This was followed by President Donald Trump immediately denouncing Maduro and recognizing Guaido as the leader he will work with from her on.
Most of the western world backs this change, but there are other countries, namely China and Russia, who still recognize Maduro as the country’s leader. Rubio dismissed this in his speech:
While Russia, China, Turkey and a large number of Asian and African countries still back Maduro, Rubio dismissed them, saying in English: “The countries that support Maduro do not surprise us. All of them are corrupt and none of them is a democracy and many of them are owed billions of dollars that they want to get paid by the corrupt regime.”
Rubio said the issue is “a humanitarian crisis, of human beings who have nothing to do with politics.”
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