Venezuelans in 'Doralzuela' Who Voted For Trump Feel Betrayed As Administration Revokes TPS and Ramps Up Deportations

The South Florida suburb of Doral historically swung right during the 2024 presidential election, making itself a key player in President Donald Trump's increased inroads with Latinos. Now, with the Republican leader back in office, many of the residents of the so-called "Doralzuela" say they feel betrayed as they face the prospect of being deported.

Miami-Dade County, where Doral is located, favored Trump by nearly 12 points, making him the first Republican presidential nominee to win the county in 36 years. The county is home to a large population of Cuban Americans and a large and growing number of Venezuelan immigrants.

27,000 Venezuelans call Doral home, making a third of the suburb's population. The local arepa restaurants, the waving Venezuelan flags and the buzzing Spanish music that can be heard from the streets has helped the neighborhood acquire the nickname of "Doralzuela."

Doral was once a place of celebration. At a local restaurant called El Arepazo, activists waved Venezuelan flags in celebration when President Joe Biden announced deportation protections for immigrants four years ago. Supporters of the Venezuelan opposition have also gathered to hold rallies and anxiously follow election results back home as authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro tightens his grip on power.

But ever since Trump took office, that has all changed, a new CNN report shows.

"You can feel the fear," said Daniel Oropeza, a Temporary Protected Status holder whose entire family is facing the possibility of deportation, as he sat on the patio outside the restaurant. "You stop doing things that you normally did before because you don't know for certain if in a couple of weeks you're going to be able to remain in the country."

Many Venezuelans in Doral feel the administration betrayed them for political gains.

Adelys Ferro, the head of a Venezuelan advocacy group, declared at a press conference that the local community had been "betrayed" by Republicans. "They used us," she said. "They actually told us that he was not going to touch the documented people."

Others, while disappointed over his decision on the TPS program, still back the president.

That is the case of Noel Ginestra, who voted for Trump, but now his sister, a TPS holder, is facing the possibility of being deported. While he still backs the president, he told CNN he hoped the TPS revocation is blocked in the courts.

"I supported him, but it disappointed us that he decided to end TPS," Ginestra said. "It bothered us that he put everyone in the same basket."

Officials in Doral also worry of the economic consequences massively deporting its Venezuelan community may bring. Maureen Porras, the Doral vice-mayor who recently left the Democratic Party to become a Republican, said that the city's economy would grind to a halt if local TPS holders were deported.

Because TPS comes with employment authorization, many businesses in Doral are dependent on Venezuelan employees who are set to lose their legal status in weeks or months. Other TPS holders have started their own businesses and stores.

"The Venezuelan community is the community that built this city," Porras said. "And without that community, I think Doral will cease to be what it is."

One of Trump's first orders of business was to revoke TPS for Venezuelans and Haitians, arguing their home country was in a more stable condition, allowing them to go back. Since then, organizations have moved to file a lawsuit to block the move.

"TPS is a critical lifeline for immigrants who have fled extreme violence, political upheaval, and natural disasters in their home countries," Lawyers for Civil Rights, which is representing immigration advocates in one of the lawsuits, senior attorney Mirian Albert said in a statement.