Rep. Díaz-Balart honored at Miami’s Freedom Tower for work promoting democracy

Cuban-American Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart was honored Wednesday for his longtime advocacy for democracy in Latin America and around the world in a ceremony at Miami’s Freedom Tower, the downtown landmark that served as a processing center for Cuban refugees.

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Peter Roskam, the National Endowment for Democracy’s Board director and former congressman, presented Díaz-Balart with the 2026’s Champion of Freedom Democracy Award in front of an audience of human-rights activists, local politicians and former colleagues in Congress.

“Freedom is fragile,” Diaz-Balart told the audience in Spanish. “Those who are in that fight need to know they are not alone.”

The organization announced in September that it would present the award to Díaz-Balart in person later. It gave the same award to U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, at its awards ceremony at Mount Vernon, Virginia, last month.

“As the son of Cuban exiles, receiving this recognition at a landmark that welcomed so many families fleeing communist tyranny carries special meaning,” Díaz-Balart said in a statement after receiving the award. “It is a reminder of America’s promise and our responsibility to stand as a beacon of freedom.”

Díaz-Balart said it is crucial for the U.S. to continue backing opponents of the governments in Havana, Caracas and Managua.

“That commitment is especially urgent in our own hemisphere, where generations of Cubans, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans have demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience in the face of decades of authoritarian repression,” his statement said.

In an onstage conversation with the endowment’s CEO, Damon Wilson, Díaz-Balart said Americans can take for granted freedoms other societies have lost. He praised the organization for working where the U.S. government cannot act directly to support democracy activists, work that serves both democratic principles and national security.

“The National Endowment for Democracy is honored to bestow our 2026 Champion of Freedom Award to Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart for his hard work and longstanding commitment to the cause of freedom and democracy around the world, and especially in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua,” said Eddy Acevedo, vice president for Policy and Government Relations at the endowment. “His unwavering dedication to standing with those fighting against tyrannical regimes reflects a deep conviction that supporting freedom initiatives advances U.S. national security interests and must not be taken for granted. Supporting democratic ideals abroad helps make America stronger, more secure, and more prosperous.”

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Díaz-Balart chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs, which writes the budget that funds the endowment.

Tributes from Latin America

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who attended the ceremony, told Martí Noticias the award was “enormously deserved for Mario’s long fight for freedom, for all our countries.” He added: “He has been there at every hour.”

Uribe credited the congressman with building bipartisan support in Washington for relations with Colombia and for the two countries’ trade agreement.

Former Colombian President Iván Duque, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim sent recorded messages.

Machado thanked the congressman for backing Venezuela’s political prisoners.

“Thank you for your friendship. And, above all, thank you for being a true friend of Venezuela,” she said. She recalled the July 28, 2024, presidential election. Afterward, Díaz-Balart urged Washington to reject strongman Nicolás Maduro’s efforts to stay in power and to restore sanctions. Machado argued that supporting Venezuelan democracy is not charity but an investment that also benefits U.S. security.

Former U.S. Sen. Mel Martínez, an endowment board member, described Díaz-Balart to Martí Noticias as “a tireless fighter for Cuba’s freedom” whose work extends to Nicaragua and Venezuela. Cuban activist Rosa María Payá told the outlet: “He has been a champion of the cause of Cuba’s freedom in the Congress of the United States.” Activist and radio host Ninoska Pérez Castellón highlighted his support for victims of repression.

The event also included a panel, “Voices of Freedom in the Americas,” moderated by Liliana Ayalde, a former U.S. ambassador. Panelists were Pérez Castellón and activists Ernesto Ackerman from Venezuela, Fabio Andrade from Colombia and Berta Valle from Nicaragua.

Díaz-Balart, who has been in Congress ince 2003, was born in Fort Lauderdale in 1961. He is the son of Rafael Díaz-Balart, a political figure during Cuba’s pre-Castro era. His brother Lincoln, who died in 2025, also served as a Republican congressman.

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