#BecauseMiami: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou Federal Funding?

Summary

Podcast Summary: #BecauseMiami: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou Federal Funding?

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
• Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz
• Episode: #BecauseMiami: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou Federal Funding?
• Release Date: May 2, 2025

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In the episode titled "#BecauseMiami: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou Federal Funding?", hosts Dan Le Batard and Stugotz delve into pressing issues affecting Miami’s community, particularly focusing on federal funding cuts to critical local organizations and the ensuing impact on South Florida’s immigrant communities. The discussion is enriched by insightful commentary from Brother Lyle Mohammed, Executive Director of the Circle of Brotherhood, and Abel Delgado, President of the Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus.

1. Federal Funding Cuts to South Florida Organizations

Overview: The episode opens with Dang Le Batard and Stugotz addressing a significant blow to local nonprofit organizations due to new federal funding cuts. These cuts have affected over 365 federal grant programs, cumulatively halting more than $800 million in funding. The conversation highlights the immediate and long-term repercussions of these decisions on vital community services.

Key Points:

• Impact on Circle of Brotherhood: Brother Lyle Mohammed details how the Circle of Brotherhood, a cornerstone organization in Miami established in 2012, received a termination notice for its $2 million federal grant (06:19). This abrupt cut threatens essential programs like gun violence prevention, anti-trafficking initiatives, and support for reentry services for formerly incarcerated individuals.

• Broader Implications: Stugotz emphasizes that these funding cuts are not mere budget reallocations but the withdrawal of fundamental support systems that the government does not provide. “These are organizations that provide assistance in gun crime prevention, anti-human trafficking…” (06:19).

• Consequences for the Community: The hosts and Brother Lyle discuss the dire consequences of these funding cuts. Brother Lyle articulates, “[...] when funding goes down for gun violence, then death and homicides increases” (14:28). The sudden loss of funding disrupts ongoing programs, leading to potential increases in violence and reduced support for vulnerable populations.

• Organizational Response: Brother Lyle announces planned actions, including a national Day of Action on May 7 and a significant rally at their headquarters. He stresses the need for mass awareness and community mobilization to counteract these detrimental policy changes. “Everyone who says that they support this work, they're going to be called to the carpet to have to come and support it” (20:51).

Notable Quotes:

• Dan Le Batard: “When people are desperate, when people are broke, when people do not have access to these types of interventions in social services, this isn't just a matter of violence and crime and drugs increasing in these underserved or urban communities...” (17:11)

• Brother Lyle Mohammed: “Nobody stands in this particular gap. Nobody.” (19:39)

2. Immigration Policy and the Cuban American Community

Overview: Shifting focus, the hosts introduce Abel Delgado, president of the Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus, to discuss the aggressive immigration policies implemented by the Trump administration. The conversation centers on how these policies are perceived as betrayals by key Cuban American politicians and the broader impacts on Miami’s immigrant communities.

Key Points:

• Billboard Campaign Against Politicians: The Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus has launched a countywide billboard campaign targeting four prominent Cuban American politicians—Marco Rubio, Maria Elvira Salazar, Carlos Jimenez, and Mario Diaz Balart—for their perceived betrayal of immigrant communities (25:16). The campaign underscores the frustration within the community over immigration policy shifts that threaten the status and safety of many immigrants.

• Loss of Cuban Exceptionalism: Dan Le Batard laments the erosion of Cuban exceptionalism—the privileged migration status historically granted to Cuban Americans fleeing the Castro regime. He states, “This is the emasculation of Marco Rubio and him betraying everything that I understood him to be about” (40:14).

• Impact on Florida International University (FIU): The hosts discuss the Trump administration’s decision to revoke visas for 18 FIU students and the implementation of ICE enforcement on campus. Abel Delgado highlights the hostility these measures foster, describing it as “a giant FU to immigrants and to our community” (31:50).

• Economic and Social Consequences: Brother Lyle Mohammed elaborates on the broader economic impacts, stating that restricting immigration will lead to a “tariff disaster by another name” and the loss of future innovators and contributors to the U.S. economy (35:48). The interruption of educational opportunities for international students further diminishes Miami’s cultural and economic vibrancy.

• Critique of Congressional Representatives: The discussion critiques Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar for taking credit for policies that she did not influence and opposing bills that benefit her community. Brother Lyle Mohammed condemns her actions as “pathological lying and gaslighting” (43:38).

Notable Quotes:

• Abel Delgado: “We are out there in the community saying that we're going to stand up for the American dream if these Cuban American representatives refuse to do so.” (29:31)

• Brother Lyle Mohammed: “This is Joel Pyle's dream. And they got rid of him in Arizona and somehow we have to deal with this in Florida.” (33:46)

• Dan Le Batard: “It is absurd. It's not what people wanted.” (40:54)

3. Future Actions and Community Mobilization

Overview: In response to the dual crises of funding cuts and restrictive immigration policies, both Circle of Brotherhood and the Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus are mobilizing their communities to advocate for change and seek alternative funding sources.

Key Points:

• National Day of Action: Brother Lyle Mohammed announces a national Day of Action scheduled for May 7, aiming to unite the 365 affected organizations and galvanize community support through rallies and strategic actions.

• Call to Action: A forthcoming call to action is hinted at, promising significant movements to address the systemic issues arising from federal policy changes. “We're not going to be spending a lot of time, to be quite honest, convincing those who are diametrically opposed to the work that we do, trying to prove its value” (10:47).

• Community Support: The hosts urge listeners to support organizations like the Circle of Brotherhood and the Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus through donations and active participation in upcoming events. The urgency of these actions is emphasized as critical to preventing further decline in community safety and cohesion.

Notable Quotes:

• Brother Lyle Mohammed: “This is going to cause a massive call of our people to wake up until that violence or that economic situation hits their doorstep.” (18:29)

• Dan Le Batard: “When funding goes down for gun violence, then death and homicides increases. And we have been responsible for the largest decrease in gun violence in the history of Miami Dade, in Miami Dade County. We can prove that a lot of...” (14:28)

4. Concluding Remarks and Future Outlook

The episode concludes on a poignant note, highlighting the interconnectedness of Miami’s communities and the critical role that local organizations play in maintaining social order and support systems. Hosts Dan Le Batard and Stugotz express a commitment to ongoing advocacy and encourage their audience to stay informed and involved in these pressing issues.

Final Thoughts:

• Community Resilience: Emphasizing the resilience of Miami’s community, the hosts and guests underscore the importance of solidarity and proactive measures in the face of governmental setbacks.

• Ongoing Advocacy: With future episodes promising further exploration of these issues, the show commits to continuing the dialogue and supporting efforts to restore and enhance federal support for Miami’s essential services.

Notable Quotes:

• Dan Le Batard: “This is the epitome of absurdity. And it's only going to get worse if we let this happen in an FIU.” (34:34)

• Brother Lyle Mohammed: “I would like to see the three members of Congress actually use their power. They wield so much power in the House of Representatives because without those three votes, Republicans cannot pass anything.” (45:28)

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Key Takeaways:

• Federal funding cuts are severely impacting critical community organizations in Miami, threatening lives and community safety.
• Aggressive immigration policies are undermining the status of Cuban Americans and other immigrant communities, disrupting educational institutions, and harming Miami’s economic and cultural landscape.
• Community leaders are mobilizing to counteract these challenges through advocacy, public awareness campaigns, and planned demonstrations.
• Immediate action and sustained community support are essential to mitigate the adverse effects of these federal policy changes.

Listeners are encouraged to support affected organizations, participate in upcoming advocacy events, and stay informed about the ongoing struggles and resilience of Miami’s diverse communities.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

Now's a good time to remember where tequila's story truly began. In 1795, Cuervo invented tequila.

[Stugotz]

Cuervo. What are you doing here?

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Cuervo?

[Stugotz]

Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up. Well, I do know that to be true. But even during ad reads like Cuervo, I think he could lay out, especially.

[Dan Le Batard]

For one of our great partners, Sweet, delicious Cuervo.

[Stugotz]

Since then, Cuervo has stayed true to its roots. The same family, the same land, the same passion. Cuervo.

[Dan Le Batard]

So enjoy the tequila that started it all.

[Stugotz]

Cuervo.

[Dan Le Batard]

Cuervo, the tequila that invented tequila.

[Stugotz]

Proximo. Cuervo.com Please drink responsibly. Cuervo. The U.S. secret Service has arrested a second person in connection to the theft of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's purse. That man was arrested here in Miami Beach.

[Dan Le Batard]

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had her purse stolen at Washington restaurant the Capitol Burger on Easter Sunday. Investigators say the first suspect sat down at the table next to Noem's, captured her purse by foot, and then grabbed it and took off. Inside was $3,000 in cash, gnomes, DHS access badge, her passport, license and keys. Police and Secret Service agents had good information. Montico was at this Walgreens store on 14th street and Collins Avenue yesterday about 1:15 in the afternoon. He was spotted outside wearing a hat and sunglasses. So police went inside and they arrested him.

[Stugotz]

Hashtag, because Miami.

[Dan Le Batard]

There is always a Miami connection. Thanks to my friend Steve Blitz and NBC 6 for that report outside the Walgreens in Miami beach, where, dude, the 911 hijackers were chilling down here in South Florida taking flight lessons. Not on how to take off and land, but just how to fly a plane, you know, mid flight in Sarasota, Florida. There was just always a connection. I mean, the last place that Ted Bundy was doing his hunting and killing and in fact got sentenced to death and electrocuted an old sparky down here in Florida. Like there's just always, always that Miami connection. And of course, cosplay Kristi Noemi, the DHS secretary, this is Department of Homeland Security, had her purse stolen Easter Sunday at a burger joint in D.C. they stole $3,000 cash like you carry in your purse.

[Stugotz]

My purse? Why? Why $3,000 just off top?

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, I presume to get her hair done. Like she's. It looks. It looks high. I mean, those beautiful Mar a Lago face. I presume it's the. It's weave, but it's gorgeous, gorgeous hair. She's got stuffed under her like cosplay, like GI Jane helmet and also her DHS badge, her access badge was in there. You've got a Secretary of defense who's like using like signal to chat with like friends and family and other people, the administration about like top secret or classified military moves. And you have actually breaking news yesterday, Mike Waltz, Trump's national security adviser, along with his deputy National Security adviser Alex Wong. They are the first two to be voted off of the Apprentice to get the old year fired. And who knows who's next on the chopping block. It only took about less than 100 days and certainly less time since the, the eruption of the signal gate scandal. So who, who knows? Who knows who's next? Roy. Roy.

[Stugotz]

Well, not me.

[Dan Le Batard]

I will tell you though, it's just, it is not the least bit surprising when you find out that like one of the guys responsible or one of the suspects, I should say, who is allegedly responsible for this theft, gets caught in Miami or Miami Beach. No, I mean because like it's just, it's just a thing. What do I always say? Like, L. A is where you go when you want to be somebody. New York is where you go when you are somebody. And Miami is where you go when you want to be somebody else. It's always been a sunny place for shady people. I remember when. Remember John McAfee?

[Stugotz]

Yes, yes. He had the McAfee software for antiviruses and apparently he liked being hammocks and doing sexual acts. I would not say on the air.

[Dan Le Batard]

All of these things are accurate. I know a lot about it because I was embedded with him for over a year, working on a documentary that never got released because it was NC17. But years before that, the Hamaka story is something. Hamaka Mirda. But the shit hammock years before that. Thank you for the translation.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Hashtag.

[Stugotz]

Because Miami.

[Dan Le Batard]

So we were at the office in Miami beach when he was on the run. Remember he was a wanted suspect in the murder of his American expat neighbor in Belize.

[Stugotz]

By the way, this is why I.

[Dan Le Batard]

Use Norton for the best, I'll tell you. But he was on the run and we were taking bets at our office. How long would it be before he made it to Miami? Because obviously that's going to be where he is fleeing to or escape. Whether you're fleeing from the north or you're fleeing from the south or the east of the west, you're going to wind up at some point in Florida, most likely Miami. And sure as shit, dude, less than a week later, he was walking on Lincoln Road by where our office was at the time back in like 2011, 2012, whatever. That was just hilarious. I mean, like, I forget who won the the office pool on that one, but I'm reminded constantly what Pulitzer Prize winning Miami Herald crime reporter Edna Buchanan said in our documentary Cocaine Cowboys.

[Stugotz]

I think there's something about the location here. It's the end of the map, the bottom of the map, the jumping off place.

[Dan Le Batard]

It was that way then, it's that way now.

[Stugotz]

It's no surprise that most of the fugitives from America's Most Wanted wind up.

[Dan Le Batard]

Here at some time or another, that.

[Stugotz]

Most of the captures they have take place in Florida.

[Dan Le Batard]

Coming up, we've got Abel Delgado, the president of the Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus. That is, if he doesn't get deported to El Sal in the next 15 minutes. But first, more good news.

[Stugotz]

Groups that help victims of crime, abuse and violence just found out the Trump administration is pulling their funding. CBS News has obtained a list of 365 federal grant programs that the U.S. justice Department has halted.

[Dan Le Batard]

For a lot of nonprofits working in.

[Stugotz]

The area of criminal justice, the news.

[Dan Le Batard]

Last week was not good. At least two major organizations in South Florida are affected, the Urban League of Broward county and the Circle of Brotherhood in Miami. The Circle got this email from the.

[Stugotz]

Justice department that their $2 million federal grant awarded in 2023, was terminated because.

[Dan Le Batard]

It no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities. This is over 365 organizations nationwide. This is over $800 million in funding. These are organizations that provide assistance in gun crime prevention, anti human trafficking, juvenile justice initiatives, over half a billion dollars that go to programs that support local police departments and correctional facilities, funding for hate crime, trafficking and community based gun crime intervention strategies. And let me be clear, this is work that the government doesn't do. So this isn't extra like icing on the cake and you still got the cake. No, this is the work that is being done in communities that are not underserved but are unserved, not only in this country. Well, certainly in this country, but particularly in South Florida, which is where the Circle of Brotherhood comes in, whose mission it is to involve black men in solving community problems, help make communities decent places to live. This is right from their mission statement on the website with a primary focus on youth development, crime prevention and economic sustainability. Let me be clear. I don't know about these other 364/ organizations elsewhere in the country. I know that Circle of Brotherhood does work that nobody else does. In Miami. Not our government, not our politicians. It is singular. It is unique. It is not important. It is essential. It is indispensable. And I can tell you that without organizations like it, people will die. Brother Lyle Mohammed is executive director of this organization, Circle of Brotherhood, founded in Miami in 2012. Brother Lyle, you heard the Attorney General of the United States, Florida woman Pam Bondi, saying that these organizations, that your organization, your mission, the money for which you have been granted from the. Asked by the federal government to do it. Granted by the federal government to do it. That your programs do not align with the administration's priorities. Is that true? The administration doesn't want to help women, doesn't want to help children, doesn't want to help victims of opioid addiction, victims of gun violence. What is it that you're doing, Brother Lyle, that does not align with. With the priorities of this administration?

[Stugotz]

Well, I think that direct question, and thank you all so much for bringing light on this situation, really is a question that they need to be asked that they haven't answered. What I will say is this the most diabolical thing I've seen in reference to these particular cuts, is the timing. A few days before summer, that's a death wish. And so obviously, people talk about campaigns about black lives mattering and about impoverished neighborhoods deserving to be serviced. So if those things are diametrically opposed to the administration's agenda, then I think we just stepped up another leg in this war. Well, Brother Lal, it just seems to me that this administration is looking at their dei, the anti dei. I just think that because you're serving a community of color that they don't want you to help them. Do you agree? Well, the writing on the wall says that. And so that's why one of our approaches is, of course, we're not taking this lying down, but we're also not going to be spending a lot of time, to be quite honest, convincing those who are diametrically opposed to the work that we do, trying to prove its value. It's time for those who understand and believe this work to stop taping these kind of slap in the faces for granted.

[Dan Le Batard]

Here's the thing, Roy. It doesn't just affect urban community, inner city communities, however. However you want to kind of shorthand the racism of this policy. You're talking about organizations and programs that help with violence against women, that help, as I said, with opioid addiction and overdoses, with the availability of Narconon. And some of these organizations are law enforcement organizations, are organizations that provide assistance to correctional officers who are way overworked and overstressed and underpaid. They provide assistance to local police departments. So this is just like it doesn't make any sense when you consider what the administration claims its priorities are. Right? We're pro police, we're pro law enforcement, we're fighting the opioid epidemic, we're trying to help the victims of crime. Right? So this doesn't just affect you, brother Lyle, is that correct? Like what are you hearing and what do you know about some of the other organizations locally, statewide, nationwide that are being affected by this?

[Stugotz]

Great, great question. First of all, there is a lot of national organizing going on now because of this. Some institutions have already had to lay off their entire workforces, some as many as 60 individuals. I mean, you take a picture of 60 well placed individuals who are doing violence intervention and prevention work and you remove them, you immediately are causing a gap. Other organizations that even provide technical assistance have been forced to stop their programming. And a lot of this work to our young people too, who sometimes are suicidal. So their mental health counselors and the people that they support as credible messengers, some of them have immediately been taken out of the picture. So this is really having an implosion effect across America.

[Dan Le Batard]

What about how sudden this was? This wasn't like, hey, because when you get a grant and the federal government says you're good, you've got $2 million coming over the next X number of years, you ramp shit up, you hire people on, you have programs, you have obligations, you have presumably outstanding invoices, bills to pay, salaries to pay kids to go out and help kids who are, you are in the middle of helping, they're in the midst of a program with you. And then all, it's not just like, hey, next year, the government is, the administration is reprioritizing. So we are looking at this and you have a 12 months to wind shit down or six months or whatever.

[Stugotz]

They just yanked exactly, exactly how that went down. We literally received an email last Tuesday on the 22nd at 5:35pm that notified of the termination, literally the faucet was cut off. We couldn't even go and get reimbursed for monies and programs that have already been spent. Literally they sent it after business hours. Now mind you, most organizations like ours, they begin their payroll drawdown processes on the Wednesday. So this was direct and this was intentional.

[Dan Le Batard]

People think I'm hyperbolic. I'm a bit of a Chicken Little. The sky's falling, the sky's falling. When I said at the top. Well, it's not paranoia if they're really after you, Roy. You're not Chicken Little. If the sky is really falling, Brother Lyle, when I said at the top of this segment, people will die. I want you to explain to everyone when that faucet turned off, what stopped, who was immediately affected and what will be the short or long term impact of that?

[Stugotz]

Excellent, man. Tell you, the first thing that had to come to my mind is am I going to be able to make payroll this week? And then the second thing that came to my mind is, how many people are we going to have to lay off? And then the visualization started coming to my mind. Like our peacemakers who stopped a young person on the street from cutting himself with a razor after school. Like our peacemakers that do boots on the ground literally help people put guns away and stop gun play. I'm talking about people who work with foster care youth that are in crisis management situations on a daily basis. I'm talking about people who are coming home from prison and need reentry support. All of that stops. So the bottom line is when funding goes down for gun violence, then death and homicides increases. And we have been responsible for the largest decrease in gun violence in the history of Miami Dade, in Miami Dade County. We can prove that a lot of.

[Dan Le Batard]

Folks these days don't really seem to take shit seriously or understand the impact of something until it happens to them. And so I want to let people understand this is why we have public schools. This is why we care about public health. This is why we have social services. We don't have communities with walls or fences around them. These are our communities. Everybody's child is all of our responsibility to some extent. When you have the richest country in the history of the planet Earth. We do things for each other and we do things for communities because it makes everybody safer and smarter and healthier. And that makes shit safer and smarter and healthier for you and for your everybody and everybody's children. So let me be clear. When people are desperate, when people are broke, when people do not have access to these types of interventions in social services, this isn't just a matter of violence and crime and drugs increasing in these, you know, underserved or urban communities where places people they can other they can other that they can go like. Well, that doesn't affect me in Aventura or me in Bel Air or me and in Boca Raton or. What I'm saying is, is that desperate times call for desperate measures. That's when shit goes down Everywhere. And crime goes up everywhere. Like, you can't just contain this. So I want to understand what is the impact that this is gonna have on Miami Dade, on the state of Florida, on the United States at large.

[Stugotz]

I can tell you off, rip. While we as an organization already, because of the immediate termination, have suffered a more than $600,000 loss, Miami Dade is about to lose millions of dollars of national organizations that were also cut, pouring money into our work to expand it from one end of the county to another. Another thing that's critical for us is another slap in the face. We remember the term essential workers during COVID Would they lay off doctors and nurses right in the middle of a Covid crisis? So you're telling me that our employees are not essential workers. So for us, this is a line being drawn in the sand. So when I say a line being drawn in the sand, you're going to see no more business as usual. We're not going to reveal everything that you're going to be seeing taking place, but this is going to cause a massive call of our people to wake up until that violence or that economic situation hits their doorstep. Like you said, this is serious, and it's taking place not just here, but across the country, and all at the same time dangerous.

[Dan Le Batard]

The Attorney General had tweeted about this being wasteful spending, including a $2 million grant to fund, quote, national listening sessions of individuals with lived experience, end quote. That $2 million grant trained prosecutors to investigate child abuse in juvenile detention facilities, youth correctional facilities, or group homes. Those listening sessions that maybe sounded frivolous because they're called listening sessions that actually allowed government workers, prosecutors, to hear directly from youth abuse victims. This is not a priority of the United States government. So my question is, when something like that stops happening, brother Lal, when. When the work you do stops happening, because Pam Bondi said nothing's going to stop. Worse, your victims will still of violence and sexual assault. They'll still get assistance. Nothing will skip a beat here. How is that possible? Who does this work if not for Circle of Brotherhood or these other 364 organizations?

[Stugotz]

Nobody stands in this particular gap. Nobody. It's going to be interesting to see as well how our local politicians respond to this as well, because, again, nobody stands in the gap. And so when these homicide rates, these suicide rates, when these fights in schools and neighborhoods, when this stuff, look, we talk about surviving from riots in the past, surviving from pandemics in the past, this actually is inducing a pandemic.

[Dan Le Batard]

What is next? What is going to happen? Is the city of Miami going to kick in? Is the county of Dade going to kick in? What is the next move here? What. Because there is. The government itself is not going to do this work. As we've established, it relies upon nonprofits in organizations like Circle of Brotherhood to do this work. So what's next? How do you feel that you got an immediate deficit of what you said, $600,000? I mean, I know people could go to circle of brotherhood miami.org and donate, I'm sure, but I mean, that's got to come. That's. It's going to be a lot quickly. So what happens now?

[Stugotz]

Well, I know for us, just so you know, the first thing has to happen is some mass awareness of organization, which is why forums like this are so important. So on May 7, it's going to be a national Day of action for all the 365 organizations that were affected by this. Some are going to be traveling to Washington, D.C. we'll be holding our massive rally right here at our headquarters. And there's also going to be a call to action. I can't reveal what that call to action is going to be right now, but when I said no more business as usual, after we make that call of action on this coming Wednesday, May 7, people are going to know it's no more business as usual. And I'll be honest, we're not. We're not looking for local government to do anything because to be quite honest, gun violence in Dade county has been nothing but a political football anyway, where people give lip service instead of financial service to it. But I will tell you this. Everyone who says that they support this work, they're going to be called to the carpet to have to come and support it. And we're not just talking about verbal support anymore. It's time for us to help finance and fund our own missions, too.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, shit. On that note, I think we leave it right there because that is a real suspenseful.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

That's.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's a cliffhanger right there. That is a. To be continued. Brother Lyle Mohammed, Executive Director, circle of brotherhood, miami.org Please go check him out. Please go support them. And Brother Lyle, we're going to have to have you back. We're going to have to do the Call to Action episode.

[Stugotz]

Exactly. Make for a very interesting interview, and I can't tell you why just yet, but that'll be a very interesting interview.

[Dan Le Batard]

In the immortal words of Bart Scott, can't wait. Can't wait. I wish we had that cart right. We don't have that. We don't have that cart.

[Stugotz]

Can't wait.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh solid.

[Stugotz]

Thank you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Good Bart Scott, Brother Lyle, thank you so much.

[Stugotz]

Thank you all for all you do. Fam the Dan Lebuitar show with Stug is sponsored by BetterHelp. Life gets busy and your mind cares it all. But just like your body needs care, so does your mental health. Therapy is an investment and clarity and peace in you. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in person therapy can cost anywhere between 100 and $250 per session, which adds up fast. With BetterHelp online therapy, you can save on average up to 50% per session. With BetterHelp, you pay a flat fee for weekly sessions, saving you big on cost and time. Therapy should feel accessible, not like a luxury. With online therapy, you can get quality care at a price that makes sense and can help you with anything from anxiety to everyday stress. Your mental health is worth it and now it's within reach. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. Your well being is worth it. Visit betterhelp.com DLB today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp help.com D O B.

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Stugotz]

Hispanic Caucus launching this countywide billboard campaign targeting four Cuban American politicians who they.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Say have betrayed immigrants in South Florida.

[Stugotz]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, Congressman Carlos Jimenez and Congressman Mario Diaz Ballard. The campaign comes as more than half a million Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians and Venezuelans face the loss of their legal status.

[Dan Le Batard]

In the United States. All this as the Trump administration works.

[Stugotz]

To crack down on immigration.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's really been something to spend my entire life living here in Miami Dade community. Not only the greatest Cuban American diaspora or Hispanic diaspora in the entire country, but a minority majority community. I mean, our culture here is Cuban American and African American. That's all the culture we have in Miami. If not for those influences, there would be no Miami culture. And so it's really been something to watch the death of Cuban exceptionalism, by which I mean the status of Cuban Americans in the United States as having a special immigration status by virtue of their fleeing communist tyranny and oppression in the Castro dictatorship of Cuba, this beautiful country that became a tropical gulag. And Miami and the United States as this refuge for people who are fleeing this kind of oppression, particularly from the Caribbean and Latin America. And to watch these lawmakers who once were the most passionate anti communist, anti Cuba. When I say anti Cuba, I mean the Castro regime, anti Russia, of course, the communists who buttressed this horrific regime that oppressed the people who fled to Miami or have been wanted to flee to Miami and continue to flee to Miami. It's just been really something to watch me become like the most conservative anti communist voice because all of a sudden everybody's bending over for a KGB agent looking to, I guess, rebirth the Soviet empire. I was thinking like, what a perfect moment in history, Roy, to have the first Cuban American Secretary of State. Like at this moment in history where Russia has become this villainous superpower against our democratic ally in Ukraine. And now's like the moment to really show your bona fides. And man, oh man, did the guy just crumble like Cuban toast. Just flaky melted into that couch, dude. I just. It's really the emasculation of Marco Rubio and him betraying everything that I understood him to be about. And it's just naked power. Like it's all self interest. It has nothing to do with what I like as a Miami and was raised to believe and understand. This is next level hypocrisy. Cuz this is a total betrayal of an ideology and values and a Culture that is pure Miami to me. So, like, for me, I'm extremely confused by all of this. And now to explain it to us is Abel Delgado, the president of the Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus, and I assume, sole member of the Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus, if only because they've all been deported. His organization is responsible for those billboards that are popping up all over town, basically saying, donda esta Marco Rubio and Congresswoman Maria Alvira Salazar and Congressman Carlos Jimenez and Mario Diaz Bellart. Our Cuban American representatives from South Florida who have been carrying this flag for decades. Where are they on this? And Abel Donde star, where are they on this?

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Well, good afternoon, Billy. Thank you for having me on. And I'm happy to report that we have many members in our caucus.

[Dan Le Batard]

There are dozens of us, dozens.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

And the membership is growing thanks to our message getting out, thanks to people from all sides of the political spectrum, of all political persuasions realizing that enough is enough. We used to agree on this issue, this community, whether you were red, blue, or another color, you agreed that this was a home for immigrants and exiles. And now Trump and his lackeys have made that not the case. So we're out there in the community saying that we're going to stand up for the American dream if these Cuban American representatives refuse to do so. I'm a Cuban American myself. I once had faith in these representatives, in Marco, to do the right thing on immigration, at the very least. And that's not what's happening.

[Dan Le Batard]

So we're speaking out, and it's happening all over the country, of course, but it's happening specifically in this community. And what we're seeing here is just wild. I want to roll this clip about what's happening at Florida International University right now. The Trump administration has revoked the visas of 18 students at FIU. This comes after a new deal between FIU.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Police and ICE will begin training for.

[Dan Le Batard]

Officers to enforce immigration laws on campus. While it's not yet clear why their visas were revoked, as of Friday, more than 700 students and recent grads across the country have had their legal status.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Changed by the U.S. department of State.

[Dan Le Batard]

However, FIU did confirm Friday it has enrolled in an ICE program titled 287-G, allowing campus police to stop and question even detained individuals who they suspect are illegal immigrants. Boy, taking the international out of Florida International University. I guess now it's just fu, or Florida White Nationalist University. FIU is one of the largest public universities in the United States, the third largest in Florida, and obviously a significant international community. Both Foreign students coming on student visas. But also obviously many of the locals are foreign born Americans or certainly are maybe first generation Americans. So Abel, what is happening in this minority majority community and who is it threat or at risk here?

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

You're absolutely right. They are taking the International out of Florida International University. This is a giant FU to immigrants and to our community. I went to Miami Dade County Public schools. Most of my friends who had good grades went to fiu. They were citizens and they were undocumented immigrants. And they were able to go there thanks to the Florida DREAM act that used to be sponsored by none other than Marco Rubio. It's ridiculous now that we're going to have to ask FIU students to show their papers. This is not the country that my family fled to for freedom.

[Dan Le Batard]

And you are an attorney. You were once, once a practicing immigration attorney, if I'm not mistaken. The new president of Florida International University, Jeanette Nunez, resigned as the Lieutenant Governor of the state of Florida for Ron DeSantis to take this job as the FIU President. She herself was a Florida lawmaker who supported offering tuition to undocumented immigrants, if I'm not mistaken, of which she has done a total about face on now that she is in fact in higher education and is apparently not in the business anymore of protecting like Miami and Florida's college students.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Yeah, the loyalty here is not to fiu, to the Miami Dade community is to Red maga. Just like the people who oppose my family's rights were loyal to Red Fidel Castro and Red Hugo Chavez. We're seeing the same playbook here at FIU where they're gonna harass students, they're going to ask for papers, they're going to take visas away from people just speaking up and speaking their mind. This is not the United States that we came for, for freedom. This is something completely different. This is Joel Pyle's dream. And they got rid of him in Arizona and somehow we have to deal with this in Florida.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's talk about the fear factor here. Obviously this is gonna have a chilling effect on. You know, I go over to Books and Books a lot in Coral Gables. It's one of the great local businesses here in Miami. Beautiful store, amazing restaurant, books and books. And it's right across the street from the Colombian consulate. And I've noticed every time I go over there, the line out front is dwindling. And I get the feeling that like people don't want to poke their heads out. Like if they're going there for immigration purposes for, you know, Green card or visa purposes or whatever it is. They don't want to be standing out there on a public street online lest ICE come by and round everybody up. And I'm guessing this is going to have a similar effect on college students. What is going to happen and what is happening, not what is. You have to predict it. It's happening right now to students on those campuses.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Right. Ice trucks are showing up outside of DMVs. Ice trucks are showing up outside of lawyer offices. Ice trucks are showing up to detain Cubans that are taking out the trash. This is a culture of fear that they want. They want undocumented immigrants, they want legal immigrants to self deport. This is the epitome of absurdity. And it's only going to get worse if we let this happen in an fiu.

[Dan Le Batard]

And I had to ask, though, also because these are college students. These are not people who are coming here to commit crimes. They're coming here to go to school to better themselves, presumably to stay in our communities as educated citizens and get jobs and contribute to the community to pay their taxes. I'm curious. In addition to, of course, families being torn apart. Okay. Because you have people who have been in this country for decades, undocumented or otherwise, with families, children, grandchildren, who are being deported to countries they might not even know about, know of, or haven't been in forever. And I'm wondering, though, since this is a language that everybody speaks, money, what is the economic impact of getting rid of these international students, of getting rid of these hardworking immigrants in our community?

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

It's just a tariff disaster by another name. We're going to see the best and brightest of the world who used to come to the United States for education, go elsewhere. And we're going to lose the future companies of Google, of Twitter, of companies like that, that were led by immigrants. We're going to lose all that. And where are they going to go? Canada, Europe, they're going to go to our former allies who Trump has ruined relationships with. And it's only going to cost us jobs, going to cost us our strong economy, and it's going to cost us our moral superiority over dictatorships.

[Dan Le Batard]

Canada, you mean the 51st state? I want to confirm.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Okay, not anytime soon.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. So Maria Elvira Salazar, the Congresswoman Fidel Castro's girlfriend, she loves to take credit. This is kind of a trend in Republican lawmakers. Loves to take credit for shit that she has nothing to do with. But this is particular, I mean, uniquely hilarious. The headline is, maria Elvira Salazar takes credit for Judge, extending TPS for Venezuelans, first and foremost, what happened to TPS for Venezuelans? What is the status legally and how is it that Maria Vera Salazar thinks that she had anything to do with that?

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

So the Trump administration tried to cancel the TPS extension that President Biden did while he was president.

[Dan Le Batard]

Temporary protective status, is that correct?

[Stugotz]

Right.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

This is something. It's usually temporary in name only. Historically, outside of Trump presidencies. This is a type of status that has been enjoyed by Cubans, Venezuelans, Haitians and others. And it's permanent because it keeps on getting renewed. President Biden renewed it for Venezuelans and for Haitians and for Ukrainians. And President Trump decided to take that away. And there was no good reason to do that. So strong immigration attorneys took it to court and won. They won at the federal level in San Francisco, I believe. Now, while they're appealing this case, while the Trump administration is appealing this case, Salazar decided to take credit for it and saying, thank you, President Trump, for extending TPS for Venezuelans. It is next level gaslighting that on one hand, you have an appeal saying we can't have these Venezuelans here and trying to deport them to a communist country where they will suffer. And on the other hand, she takes credit because she wants Venezuelan American vote.

[Dan Le Batard]

To be very clear, the Trump administration wants to revoke TPS and send hundreds of thousands of. Not just Venezuelans, though, Right. Of Haitian Americans or Haitians, Cubans, Cuban Americans back to their country where they will face, I mean, unimaginable shit, whether it's political, economic, otherwise. They came here for a reason. They can't. They were escaping those countries looking for a better life. Right. I mean, this is not anything that we should be thanking her. The Trump administration, this is something that some very hardworking immigration attorneys and some judges who looked at the facts and said, this is not legal or right.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Absolutely. And an extension of that, there's the what Trump did with humanitarian parole, which does involve Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who came into this country legally. They were brought here with permission of the U.S. government. And then Trump came to power and he said, never mind, you need to go back. And thankfully, another judge in another case said, no, you don't need to go back now and put an injunction on that. So thankfully, for now, at least, they get to stay. I'm sure Salazar is going to take credit for that, too. They were supposed to send people back by April 20. There were Cubans that were sent back before April 20. There were Cubans that were told that they had to go back to Communist Cuba before that. And I hope that no one ended up following the letter that they got from the government and self deporting as they call it, because it would be absurd. But thankfully that's on hold as well.

[Dan Le Batard]

Such a staggering. Like I was reading a headline just this week in Bloomberg. It said Cuban exiles are losing their privileged migration status under Trump. It's so wild to me. Cuz obviously this was a community that overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump. The Cuban American community of South Florida in particular.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

You get what'd you vote for?

[Dan Le Batard]

But it's so like again, it's antithetical to my values as an American and as a Miami. And like I was raised to believe that Cubans and Cuban Americans were entitled to this, what they called Cuban exceptionalism. That's a real term of art. I didn't just make that up like that is a real thing. For nearly 60 years of American immigration policy. And to watch Cuban Americans basically say, no, I don't want it or no, we don't want it or no, deport these Cuban Americans over here, but not these Cuban Americans or to vote to deport themselves is just mind boggling to me.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Yeah, I've always thought that Haitians and later Venezuelans deserve the same protections we have had as a community. I'm very grateful that this country opened the doors to my family. I wish they would continue to do that. That's not happening. And I understand that Cuban Americans voted in a majority for President Trump, but they were told that he was going to focus on undocumented immigrants. They were told that he was going to focus on criminals and he's taking away legal status from people who entered this country legally. That cannot be said enough. He said he was going to focus on undocumented immigrants and he's targeting people who came here legally. It is absurd. It's not what people wanted.

[Dan Le Batard]

Are you saying he lied?

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Yes, surprisingly so. The convicted felon lied and he's trying to deport people with no criminal record similar to what he has.

[Dan Le Batard]

Before we go, Representative, Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar has a special place in my heart. She is my representative. She represents me in Congress, which is wild. I mean, to watch her on television is a real treat. This is a woman who's from the TV news business, but cannot seem to appear honest or rational. It's like, it's just embarrassing, you know, like to see her out there representing this community in any way. But she has a real propensity. She chronically takes credit for shit that she has absolutely nothing to do with. It's like a problem. It's like, I don't know, it's like she has a, an aversion to the truth. Like she just, it's this really weird, it's almost clinical or pathological. I can't diagnose her with anything. But she's just like, she is a pathological liar and gaslighter and it's really a sight to behold. And this is her last appearance on CBS News. Miami's facing South Florida with Jim. When I say her last before her most recent, but also this was like last year and she has not returned to the show since. And it's no wonder. Jim Defeati is one of those journalists that actually asks a follow up question and comes armed with the receipts.

[Stugotz]

Last month you were at FIU and you presented a check for $650,000 to help small businesses at FIU. But you voted against the bill that gave the money that you then signed check for and hand it and had a photo op. The Consolidated Appropriations act of 2023, right? You voted against that bill. I. Right now you have to give me more details, but I do know that every time I have an opportunity to bring money to my constituents, I do so I just did. $400,000.

[Dan Le Batard]

But look, you voted against, you voted.

[Stugotz]

Against the Chips and Science act, right? Listen, right now I need to, I need to, to ask my staff what are we. $40 million that I have brought to this community. Aren't you proud of me? Aren't you proud of the $40 million? Are you proud that I wrote the Dignity Act?

[Dan Le Batard]

Haven't I?

[Stugotz]

Let's talk about the Americas Act. Wait, wait, wait, let me one second. Tell me the money that you talk about, the $40 million that you bring back to the district. Sometimes that money comes from bills that you voted against. You voted against the CHIPS act and yet you praise the fact that the South Florida climate resilience tech hub is going to be started in Miami, right? You voted against the infrastructure bill and you talk about all the money that comes back to the airport. So at the same time that you're taking credit for the money that you bring back to the district in Washington, you're voting against these projects on party line votes. Listen, that was I think last. I, I cannot really remember right now. But just look, let's look at the Americas act, which is what I'm going to.

[Dan Le Batard]

You don't want to explain why you voted?

[Stugotz]

I mean right now, and I'm not trying to be a politician. There's so many bills that I've introduced that I know that many of you are bills that you voted against. That I understand. But it's okay. Those are significant and sometimes I don't. But let's look at the positive. Let's look at the $40 million that are brought, and let's look at the dignity.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

You know, Congresswoman Salazar probably took pointers from Fidel Castro when she interviewed him. The difference is that Fidel Castro didn't have to deal with real journalists like when he was interviewed by Salazar, but Salazar has to deal with real journalists in Miami Dade, at least for now. So she gets to squirm, she gets to look ridiculous when she responds to Defiti and his very important questions.

[Dan Le Batard]

Before we go, what are you hoping happens? What would you like to see our congresspeople, our Secretary of State, step up and do here?

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

I would like to see him stop the deal with El Salvador to traffic asylum applicants to prison. I would like to see him stop deporting students who are just voicing their opinions. I would like to see the three members of Congress actually use their power. They wield so much power in the House of Representatives because without those three votes, Republicans cannot pass anything. So all they have to do is tell the Trump administration, stop trying to deport documented immigrants, stop aiming your vitriol at our community, or we will tank your agenda. That's what they could do. I shouldn't have to explain power to members of Congress, but they need to use their power to represent our community and not to kowtow to President Trump.

[Dan Le Batard]

Only in the banana republic, baby. Only in Miami. Abel Delgado, president of the Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus. Thanks so much for joining us. Good luck. Keep fighting the good fight.

[Brother Lyle Mohammed]

Thank you.