Crisis in Venezuela a Matter of ‘Life or Death,' ‘Liberty or Dictatorship,' Says Interim First Lady

WASHINGTON – Interim Venezuela first lady Fabiana Rosales told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the crisis in Venezuela is a matter of “life or death” and “liberty or dictatorship,” according to a translation from Spanish.

“Thank you all for making Venezuela your cause because today Venezuela is a cause of humanity, life or death, liberty or dictatorship and it’s an act of humanity to such a level that Venezuela has united the world, even Democrats and Republicans, for the same cause,” Rosales told members of the Florida congressional delegation in Spanish on Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

“It’s the cause of humanity and I am sure that very soon in Venezuela we will see the light that has been stolen from us. We have been immersed in a disaster, in a catastrophe, a tragedy, in a massacre to our kids and elderly but I know that very soon with the help of the international community, with the people mobilized in Venezuela that have not stopped fighting and haven’t given up, we are going to regain the liberty and the democracy,” she added.

Rosales, whose husband is Juan Guaido, president of the National Assembly and interim president of the country, met with President Donald Trump in the White House earlier in the day on Wednesday.

Nicolas Maduro has refused to step down from his position despite more than 50 countries recognizing Guaido as the president.

During the meeting, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who recently visited the Venezuela border, said the U.S. and its allies must keep applying “pressure on Cuba” and the Maduro regime.

Wasserman Schultz said the Florida delegation supports Trump’s sanctions to “deepen the impact on the Maduro regime.”

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) warned about the dangers of the situation in Venezuela for the U.S.

“I believe this is more dangerous for the national security interests of the United States than a lot of things that have gotten a lot of attention over the years in the Middle East. Again, it is the largest humanitarian crisis in the history of this hemisphere and it continues to grow,” Diaz-Balart said, adding that Russia and China are helping the Maduro regime. “For the national security of the United States, this is a clear, clear danger.”