DORAL, Fla. – Venezuelans in Miami were just recovering from the state security police's recent arrest of Caracas' mayor Antonio Ledezma, when Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro already had another target Monday.
Socialist Party legislators' new target: Julio Borges, a parliamentarian and national coordinator of the "Primero Justicia" party, Spanish for "Justice First." The lawmaker made worldwide news in 2013, after he was injured during a brawl among legislators.
"The more attacks, the more united," Borges said in Spanish on Twitter Monday afternoon. "They won't demoralize us. They won't silence us. They won't make us bow down."
Ledezma was charged with "crimes against the peace and security of the nation and against the constitution." Borges may be facing similar charges, as he remains under investigation for his involvement in alleged plans for a coup d'etat.
Maduro accused the twice elected mayor of being part of a plan to send a military aircraft to bomb the presidential palace. There is not much hope for him. In Venezuela, judiciary and prosecutors take orders from government.
This isn't the first time Ledezma feels the abuse of the left. Under Hugo Chavez, socialist supporters stripped his authority after an election and appointed an official to exercise it. This time there was a military operation at his office in El Rodal neighborhood Feb. 19.
The majority of Venezuelans living in Miami-Dade's Doral neighborhood ridiculed the Maduro's militancy. A witness said an officer used a sledge hammer to smash the glass door. About 80 men were involved in the arrest. They reportedly punched Ledezma several times. There were black Hummers and SUVs outside.
Maduro's opponents in Miami-Dade's "Dorazuela" say he is making false accusations as a strategy to distract the masses from the failures of his economic policies. His approval ratings are reportedly below 20 percent. In Caracas, there are shortages of basic consumer goods and medicines. There is a rise in inflation and poverty.
"This is why they attack us," Borges said on Twitter. He then referred to recent statistics published by PuzKaz that show that 59.6 percent of the electorate is siding with Maduro's opposition and only 22.5 percent would side with "Chavismo."
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Venezuelan legislators' 2013 brawl