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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio faced criticism during Senate testimony over the Trump administration’s engagement with Venezuela’s interim leadership, including Delcy Rodríguez, amid ongoing human rights concerns. Some lawmakers and rights advocates faulted the cooperation with Venezuelan authorities despite documented abuses, questioning whether working with them undermines U.S. principles even as Rubio defended the strategy as part of a transition plan.

Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that relations with Rodríguez’s government are “productive and respectful” and that the U.S. does not plan fresh military action while pursuing stabilisation and democratic transition. He aims to normalise ties and oversee economic recovery, but critics argue the approach risks legitimising a repressive regime.




#Rubio #Venezuela #Trump #DelcyRodríguez #SenateHearing #HumanRights #USForeignPolicy #TrumpAdmin #Diplomacy #PoliticalCriticism #RightsAbuses #InternationalRelations #USVenezuelaTies #SenateForeignRelations #LatinAmerica #ForeignPolicyDebate #GlobalPolitics #WashingtonNews #VenezuelaTransition #RubioTestifies #PolicyControversy

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00:00This is the hypocrisy that I see at the same time that you're issuing these
00:05human rights cautions about what's going on there for Americans.
00:08You have a president that's...
00:10It's lifting temporary protected status for Venezuelans.
00:13Many of them are...
00:15...individuals that have lived in our country for years, if not decades.
00:18The administration...
00:20...is putting people back on deportation flights and sending them into that madness.
00:25Does that make sense to you?
00:26Well, first of all, the travel advisories for American citizens traveling there on the...
00:30...threats posed to Americans.
00:31What you're describing...
00:32Why lift temporary protected status?
00:34Well, the problem with temporary...
00:35...was granted to so many people in such vast numbers so quickly...
00:40...without proper vetting by the previous administration.
00:43I just want to start...
00:45...by saying what's playing...
00:46...I'd frankly be playing to Senator Rubio and playing to members...
00:50...here...
00:51...is that it should not have taken this long to have this hearing.
00:54Fundamental...
00:55...we have a crisis, I believe, in our democracy right now...
00:58...which is the failure of Congress.
01:00...inthink that it should not have this...
01:01...by having fires, whether it's...
01:02...to do its job.
01:03...to provide checks and balances...
01:04...oversight.
01:05...to...
01:06...to provide...
01:09that we should be doing to keep a balanced government.
01:12We have operations right now.
01:14That are literally costing the American taxpayer tens of millions of dollars a day, the buildup
01:19in the Caribbean alone is hundreds of millions of dollars a month, but we're not providing
01:23that kind of...
01:24oversight that's necessary.
01:25So from our power to the purse, to our important work...
01:29of providing a check and balance to an administration, what we're seeing right now is unexplained
01:34acceptable and speaks to what I think is a growing constitutional crisis in our country,
01:37which is a Congress...
01:39that is just lying down for the administration to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants.
01:44I want to pick up on my colleagues questioning because I actually know from years...
01:49of conversations with you, your heart about human rights in countries like Venezuela, Mr.
01:53Secretary...
01:54Secretary...
01:55Secretary...
01:56Secretary...
01:57Secretary...
01:58Secretary...
01:59And you issued a travel warning...
01:59a level four travel advisory from your department's website that says, right now in Venezuela...
02:04there's a high risk of wrongful detention, torture, terrorism, kidnapping...
02:09arbitrary enforcement of laws, crime, and more...
02:14when we hear from the president that he is in charge, that you go all around...
02:19are running this government to that extent, I have a lot of concerns when it comes...
02:24to the rampant human rights violations that are persisting...
02:29But Pedro...
02:30Legayos...
02:31Maduro's key hardline enforcer, has continued to intimidate...
02:34and suppress Venezuelan voices.
02:36He remains in control of Venezuela's security force.
02:39Security services, the colectivos, we're seeing extraordinary
02:44examples that the constant oppression of the people.
02:49is continuing as these folks are remaining in control.
02:55So I just want to know what is the plan to address
02:58in a much more aggressive way.
02:59These severe human rights violations.
03:04And to try to stop these armed militias.
03:08Because if we are...
03:09If we are doing things to stabilize their government.
03:11If we are turning over resources and money to the...
03:14The very groups that are creating these horrors.
03:17That seems to me against America's...
03:19And it seems to me something that is...
03:23Should be unacceptable.
03:24to Congress on both sides.
03:25Yeah.
03:26Well, absolutely.
03:27The Venezuela I described that we...
03:29want to see emerge from this.
03:30This is one in which none of that is happening.
03:32If you think about travel advisories.
03:33Travel advisories...
03:34Are us imagining worst case scenarios.
03:36We have a duty to warn American citizens.
03:37When they travel to a place that does have...
03:39the history of Americans being arrested.
03:41Of Americans being taken.
03:42And they may be taken by a deliberate...
03:44action of a government or entity related to the regime.
03:47They may be taken by criminal gangs that...
03:49control parts of that society.
03:50For example.
03:51You know.
03:52They have these colectivos as they are called.
03:53Which basically are...
03:54these armed motorcycle gangs...
03:56that are allowed to act with impunity...
03:57in return for their support for the Maduro...
03:59regime in the past.
04:00You have the ELN and the FARC...
04:01and other drug trafficking organizations...
04:03including...
04:04in Daragua that are involved.
04:05Again.
04:06So these are real risks that we have a duty...
04:07to warn Americans.
04:08Because what...
04:09here's what we didn't want to see.
04:10And I mean...
04:11don't mean to interrupt you.
04:12We have this announcement that Maduro has been taken.
04:14all of a sudden people conclude...
04:15Oh!
04:16He's gone.
04:17Let's flood over there.
04:18Let's all go over there.
04:19And we could expose people...
04:19This is dangerous.
04:20But this is the hypocrisy that I see.
04:22At the same time that you're issuing...
04:24these human rights cautions...
04:26about what's going on there for Americans.
04:28You have a president...
04:29that's lifting temporary protected status...
04:32for Venezuelans.
04:33Many of them...
04:34are individuals...
04:35that have lived in our country for years...
04:37if not decades.
04:39When I hear from the Venezuelan community...
04:41I hear an outrage...
04:42that at the very same time that...
04:44you are affirming here...
04:45that these armed militias...
04:47are running around suppressing voices...
04:49we have an administration...
04:51that has said very clearly...
04:52that they're not only going to be lifted...
04:54protecting temporary protective status...
04:55for Venezuelans living in the U.S.
04:57but instead of protecting...
04:59long-time American residents...
05:01their quote...
05:02excuse me...
05:03the administration...
05:04is putting people back...
05:06on deportation flights...
05:07and sending them into that...
05:09into that madness...
05:10does that make sense to you?
05:11Well...
05:12first of all...
05:13the travel advisories...
05:14for American citizens...
05:14traveling there...
05:15and the threats posed to Americans...
05:16what you're describing...
05:17Why lift...
05:18why lift temporary protected status?
05:19Well...
05:19the problem with temporary...
05:20protective status was...
05:21it was granted to so many people...
05:22in such a vast number...
05:24numbers...
05:25so quickly...
05:26without proper vetting...
05:27by the previous administration...
05:28that there's a real concern...
05:29that there were...
05:30there were gang members...
05:31that had received TPS...
05:32simply because of the nation...
05:33they came from...
05:34and the time...
05:34in which they came...
05:35it became so big...
05:36and so massive...
05:37the overwhelming majority...
05:38of Venezuelans...
05:39are not members of...
05:39trained at Agua...
05:40but there were...
05:41trained at Agua...
05:42and other criminal elements...
05:43embedded in the TPS system...
05:44Well...
05:44the numbers are so large...
05:45that the administration...
05:46felt it had to cancel...
05:47the program...
05:48in order to appropriately...
05:49vet it through...
05:49on the individual cases...
05:50Excuse me...
05:51Mr. Secretary...
05:52this might not surprise you...
05:53I don't trust...
05:54this administration...
05:54and the way they use...
05:55terms like terrorists...
05:56I've seen them calling...
05:57American citizens...
05:58domestic terrorists...
05:59who are people...
06:00trying to peacefully...
06:01protest...
06:02the problem we have...
06:03right now...
06:04is the administration...
06:05continues to make...
06:06policies...
06:07that seem to contradict...
06:08their words...
06:09and yet...
06:10we don't have a process...
06:11in place...
06:12for Congress...
06:13to do its job...
06:14because...
06:14people...
06:15are not calling in...
06:16calling folks in...
06:17for these hearings...
06:18and not providing...
06:19the kind of oversight...
06:20that...
06:19that we need...
06:20it is very frustrating...
06:21to me...
06:22that we still have...
06:23a repressive regime...
06:24in...
06:24power in Venezuela...
06:25suppressing...
06:26human rights...
06:27yet...
06:27we are cooperating...
06:28with them...
06:29we are funding them...
06:31and we're not calling out...
06:32the ridiculousness...
06:34of the violence...
06:35that's going on there...
06:36at the same time...
06:37we're taking people...
06:38who have lived...
06:39in our country...
06:39for years...
06:40and years...
06:41and years...
06:42and sending them...
06:43back into that hell...
06:44where they can be...
06:44targeted...
06:45where they can be...
06:46abducted...
06:47where they can be...
06:48held for hostage...
06:49because they know...
06:50they have...
06:51Americans...
06:52the situation...
06:53ripe...
06:54for where we are...
06:55being complicit...
06:56in continuing...
06:57human rights violations...
06:57and that needs to stop...
06:58and I think...
06:59just on two points...
07:00we're not cooperating...
07:01with them...
07:02to continue doing...
07:03what they're doing now...
07:04we're cooperating...
07:05with them...
07:06to transition away...
07:07from what's happening now...
07:07and as I said...
07:08we're not even...
07:09four weeks into this thing...
07:10and if it continues...
07:11to look like this...
07:12six months...
07:13nine months...
07:14a year from now...
07:15if progress isn't being made...
07:16we'll have very different...
07:17feelings about it...
07:17what we're cooperating on...
07:18is not the continuation...
07:19of what's happening...
07:20it's a...
07:21it's a movement...
07:22away from all...
07:22and transitioning...
07:23ultimately...
07:24to something...
07:25that looks nothing like this...
07:26that's the goal...
07:27but it's been less than four...
07:27weeks...
07:28I mean...
07:29we think we've made...
07:30substantial progress...
07:31in a very short period of time...
07:32but I acknowledge...
07:33we want to make a lot...
07:32more progress...
07:33this is not the end state...
07:34that we want...
07:37subscribe to One India...
07:38and never miss an update...
07:42go to One India app now...
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