Venezuela

When an expat pilot landed in Venezuela with desperately needed earthquake aid from Doral, he learned he'd lost numerous close family and friends in the disaster — but says it's made him even more determined now to deliver help.

Even as she's unable to leave Venezuela, a Tampa Bay real estate agent is using her contacts and capabilities to try to assist people impacted by back-to-back earthquakes.

Several businesses are partnering with the Tampa Bay Latin Chamber to collect donations of medication, medical supplies, nonperishable food and hygiene products to help with earthquake recovery.

South Florida journalist Maria Alesia Sosa is used to telling difficult stories — including the Surfside tragedy. She was visiting family in her home country of Venezuela when she experienced firsthand two devastating earthquakes.

At the Global Empowerment Mission warehouse, hundreds of volunteers hurried past each other to pack emergency supplies for families affected by the powerful earthquakes that devastated Venezuela earlier this week. "We need more hands," said one volunteer.

It was a sleepless night for many in South Florida's Venezuelan diaspora after two powerful back-to-back earthquakes struck the country. At least 164 people were killed, with nearly 1,000 injured and many trapped beneath collapsed buildings, after Wednesday evening's 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes.

The mass deportations under the Trump administration have been heavily chronicled, and Florida is among the states with the most immigration arrests and removals.

Just days after the court heard arguments for restoring Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz urged justices to grant the extension.

The federal trial of a former Miami congressman accused of secretly lobbying for Venezuela's government during the first Trump administration begins Monday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio set to testify over his interactions with his old friend.

It has been one year since Donald Trump began his immigration enforcement policy. Hundreds of thousands of Floridians have lost their immigration protections. One Venezuela couple was granted a visa, clearing up their legal status. Still, they feel vulnerable as much as they are faithful in the system.

South Florida exiles applaud Trump for removing Venezuela's dictator, but they're less sure about whether he intends to remove Venezuela's dictatorship — or simply extract its oil.

Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado spoke briefly on Capitol Hill Tuesday as she met with lawmakers and worked to shore up U.S. support for her bid to lead the country after President Donald Trump ousted the former president, Nicolas Maduro.