Democrat is Elected Miami Mayor Over Cuban-American Hardliner

Eileen Higgins’ win in Miami’s mayoral election last week makes her the city’s first-ever woman mayor and first Democrat to hold that office in nearly three decades. She defeated Cuban-American Emilio González, who was endorsed by Trump and served as head of the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) during the second George W. Bush administration. González, a standard-issue Miami hardliner when it comes to Cuba policy, was a prominent early proponent of classifying Cuba’s international medical cooperation missions as “human trafficking.” Rubio and other U.S. politicians have pushed that narrative and pressured countries to stop receiving Cuban medical services in recent years. González was also behind the politically motivated Medical Professional Parole program, which allowed Cuban health workers on missions to apply for U.S. visas. The program was ended by President Barack Obama in 2017.