Senator Gallego Calls Out Trump and Rubio for Stripping Legal Status from Venezuelans and Cubans
WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) published an op-ed in La Opiniónnewspaper condemning President Donald Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio forterminating of the humanitarian parole program for Venezuelans and Cubans.
In the op-ed, Senator Gallego presents his recently released framework, which balances border security with immigration reform, as an alternative vision that safeguards the American Dream.
Read more below.
La Opinión: The Great Betrayal (translated from Spanish)
In South Florida, there’s no need to explain what a dictatorship is. Cuban and Venezuelan families have experienced repression, economic collapse, and the loss of their future. Many didn’t come here simply for opportunity, but because they had no other choice.
They came to survive.
That’s why the recent Supreme Court decision, pushed by Donald Trump and silently accepted by Secretary Marco Rubio, to eliminate the humanitarian parole program hurts so much. This program offered a legal and orderly path for people escaping totalitarian regimes to start a new life here.
It worked. It brought stability and represented the best of American values. And it has been eliminated for purely political reasons.
Let’s be clear. Secretary Rubio has visited your communities and eaten at your tables. We’ve seen him speak passionately about Cuba and Venezuela. But when it came time to defend the people who escaped those regimes and who arrived legally under a program specifically designed for them, he remained silent.
What happened to the champion Mr. Rubio used to be? What happened to the promises he made to the community that lifted him to power? That silence speaks volumes.
And Donald Trump didn’t just stay silent. He led the attack to eliminate the program. A program that offered dignity and stability to those who followed the rules was destroyed by political whim. And it didn’t stop there—this week he banned almost all immigration from these two Countries.
The betrayal by President Trump and Marco Rubio has been keenly felt in Miami. It’s on par with the betrayal of Judas.
I know this is personal for many of you. Perhaps you supported Trump hoping for a better economy. Perhaps you trusted Rubio to protect your community.
I understand that you did what you thought was right. We all vote based on the information and values we hold at the time. But when a leader turns their back on the very community they claim to represent and who they’ve spoken about suffering under communism, you have to ask yourself: who are they really fighting for?
The humanitarian parole program wasn’t about “open borders.” It was about providing a legal pathway for those who fled communism. They are not gang members or criminals, but families who could no longer endure the repression of these cruel governments. They are people who wanted to work and live in peace.
That is the American dream. And today, it’s under threat.Cubans and Venezuelans have opened businesses, paid taxes, and raised families in Miami. To tell them now: “You are no longer welcome” is not just unfair. It’s un-American.
I served in Iraq as a Marine and am now a newly elected Senator for Arizona. I’ve seen what truly works to secure our borders and manage immigration fairly. For me, the issue of immigration is personal.
That’s why I proposed a plan that combines border security with legal and orderly pathways. It accelerates immigration processes, strengthens infrastructure at points of entry, and protects humanitarian programs like parole for those fleeing dictatorships.
This isn’t about being Republican or Democrat; it’s about common sense. You deserve leaders who don’t just pose for photos with flags, but who show up when it truly matters.
I am the son of Mexican and Colombian immigrants. I was raised by a single mother. I worked various jobs, including construction and as a cook, to pay for my studies and support my sisters. I understand what it means to work hard to achieve the American dream.
We can bring security and order to the border without betraying immigrants who have come here the right way. We can keep the American dream alive for those who still believe in it.
6/10/25