The Republican congresswoman from Florida, María Elvira Salazar, reacted this Thursday with a strong message following the second judicial hearing of Nicolás Maduro in New York, expressing satisfaction at seeing the Venezuelan dictator appear before a U.S. federal court and issuing a direct warning to the Cuban regime.
In her X profile, Salazar said: "I am filled with satisfaction to see the dictator Nicolás Maduro and his accomplice Cilia Flores, who thought they were immune to the law, facing justice in the U.S. Let this be a lesson to all dictators in the hemisphere: you don't play games with the United States," Salazar wrote.
In a video attached to her post, the congresswoman delivered a message to the regime in Havana with a clear warning: "And that is the same lesson we are sending to the Cubans. Pay attention to the administration of the president and especially to the figure of Donald Trump, because when he says something, he follows through. And there is the best example, the ayatollahs in Iran. The next ones are the ayatollahs in Havana."
The hearing was held this Thursday at 11:00 a.m. in the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York, before Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who denied the defense's motion to dismiss the charges against Maduro, allowing the proceedings to continue.
The session primarily focused on whether the dictator can use funds from the Venezuelan government—subject to sanctions—to finance his legal defense, represented by lawyers Barry J. Pollack and Mark E. Donnelly.
The judge postponed his decision on that point and did not set a date for the main trial. Experts consulted by the EFE agency estimate that the process will not begin before 2027 or 2028.
During the hearing, Maduro displayed visible signs of nervousness, with tics and anxiety, and upon leaving, he told his lawyer, "See you tomorrow."
Salazar also reflected on that moment: "I'm sure he is thinking about the different proposals that the Trump administration offered him before he was imprisoned, that he could have gone here or there, but he didn't take them because he didn't pay attention to Trump."
Maduro and Cilia Flores were captured on January 3, 2026, in Caracas during the so-called "Operation Absolute Resolution", a military incursion ordered by President Trump that involved more than 150 aircraft, special forces, electronic warfare, and support from the CIA and Colombian intelligence.
During the operation, at least 24 Venezuelan soldiers and 32 Cubans from the FAR and MININT died. Both were transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and pleaded not guilty at their first hearing on January 5.
Maduro faces charges of conspiracy for narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns, and destructive devices, with penalties that could lead to life imprisonment.
His son Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, known as "Nicolasito," is also facing similar charges related to the FARC.
Salazar, of Cuban-American descent —whose parents fled Cuba with only five dollars— closed her message with a reflection that summarizes her stance: "In the end, all dictators are held accountable, here on earth or before God."
From the White House, President Trump also spoke on the case this Thursday, anticipating that "other trials will come," as the current charges are, in his words, "only a fraction" of the crimes committed by someone he described as "a very, very dangerous man who has killed a lot of people."
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