Miami GOP’s recurring bigotry problem raises ugly head in FIU group chat

Screenshots are forever.

And right now, a set of leaked group chats circulating through Miami political circles is giving the Republican Party of Miami‑Dade County a migraine that’s going to last a long time.

The messages — reportedly exchanged among young conservative activist students at Florida International University last semester — contain racist slurs, antisemitic comments and violent rhetoric that make them sound like Nick Fuentes wannabes.

But here’s the part that makes the story more than just another ugly campus episode: One of the people allegedly running the chat wasn’t just a student. He was a party official.

According to texts, first reported by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres, the group chat was created by and included Miami GOP Secretary Abel Alexander Carvajal, along with activists connected to the FIU College Republicans and the campus chapter of Turning Point USA. In the messages, the N-word reportedly appears hundreds of times, participants called women “whores,” mocked other minority students — Jewish women are good for sex but not to have babies with — and joked about extreme, horrific violence against Black people.

Carvajal often used the words migress, migglets and miggers (replace the m with an n and you get his gist).

Screenshots show the chat operating for months. No one shut it down. No one objected. The only thing that stopped it was daylight. Now the screenshots are circulating through Miami political WhatsApps faster than a campaign poll.

If this all sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve been here before.

Last year, Politico reported that leaders of the Young Republicans across the country had participated in a group chat where Blacks where referred to as monkeys and “the watermelon people” and participants mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers, raping their enemies and driving them to suicide. They praised Republicans who they believed support slavery.

And Miami-Dade Republicans have been exposed for their extreme right leanings before. Just a few years ago, the party had several members of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys embed themselves in the executive committee and other party structures.

The group — known for violent street confrontations and ties to the January 6 attack — has long had a presence in South Florida, including leadership figures such as Miami native Enrique Tarrio.

Back then, party leaders insisted the problem was exaggerated. Miami-Dade Commissioner Rene Garcia, who was GOP chairman at the time, dismissed the criticism. “Yes, we have fringe elements,” Garcia told the New York Times, which had reported at least half a dozen former or current Proud Boys among the 125 committee members.

“Yes, we have different points of view in our party. That’s how we are. And my job as Republican chairman is to protect everyone’s First Amendment right, however wrong they may be.”

This time, Garcia was one of the first to condemn the chat group. Maybe it’s because he wants to run for county mayor.

“Racism and anti-semitism have no place in the Republican Party,” he posted in a social media message. “As former chairman of the Miami-Dade Republican Party, I was proud to lead a party that reflected the incredible diversity of our county, a coalition of Hispanic, Jewish, Black and immigrant communities who believe in freedom, opportunity and respect for one another. That diversity is out greatest strength.”

He also said it was even “more troubling” that some of the surnames in the chat group were Hispanic. “Many of our families came to this country from other nations in search of freedom, opportunity and a better future for their children. That legacy should inspire gratitude and humility, not hatred. Those individuals should be deeply ashamed of themselves, because their behavior dishonors the sacrifices their families made.”

But extreme views have never been foreign to local Republicans, and these screenshots suggest the culture problem never really went away. It just migrated to Signal and group chats.

The biggest risk for Miami Republicans isn’t the students. College political clubs and university students say stupid things every generation. In fact, the FIU Turning Point chapter had a group chat in 2018 that included cartoon pornography featuring drawings of underaged girls, jokes about rape and reminders to members to not be racist and anti-Semitic. Guess they forgot. And a fraternity got in trouble a few years back for its own antisemitic musings — so stupid hatred is not limited to political nerds.

No, the biggest risk is the proximity. These aren’t random undergrads arguing about memes. These are activists who volunteer on campaigns, attend party meetings, and are trying to become the next generation of political operatives (and judges and prosecutors!). In some of the texts, they talk about overthrowing the Miami GOP.

Which means Miami politicians who have been friendly with the group — attending meetings, taking photos, speaking at campus events — may soon find themselves answering uncomfortable questions. Who knew what? And when?

This would include Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, Doral Mayor Cristi Fraga, Miami Commissioner Ralph Rosado and State Reps. Omar Blanco and Juan Carlos Porras, all of whom participated in college Republican’s Civic Series of political speakers last year. Lago, in particular, and Coral Gables Commissioner Richard Lara had one prominent member of the racist chat group, Dariel Gonzalez, in social media posts from their campaigns last year. Las malas lenguas told Ladra that Gonzalez was “helping out” during early voting.

“Dariel Gonzalez was not part of my campaign in any official capacity,” Lara told Ladra in an emailed response, through the city spokeswoman, Martha Pantin, to a call and text directly to him. “He was never employed or paid by my campaign, never served as a campaign volunteer, and never represented my campaign in any capacity.” (More on that later.)

Watch as all the electeds and party leaders try to distance themselves from Gonzalez and any of the other racists on that group chat.

Kevin Cooper, the chairman of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade, issued a statement condemning the terms in what he called “Abel Alexander Carajal’s racist group chat.

“His words and actions are reprehensible and are completely inconsistent with the values of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County,” Cooper said. “The words and actions of this individual does not speak for our Party.”

Well, not all the party. Because Cooper also said that “the majority of our Party’s Board voted to request Carvajal’s resignation,” and have commenced removal proceedings. So just “the majority.” Some board members voted to keep the racist pig within their ranks?

Cooper did not answer follow up questions about who voted against removal and when they had the meeting to take this vote.

FIU President Jeanette Nuñez, the former lieutenant governor inexplicably appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last June, made a statement confirming that the school’s Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity were actively investigating the matter.

“FIU does not and will not tolerate violence, hate, discrimination, harassment, racism or antisemitism. This is not who we are. This is not what FIU stands for,” Nuñez wrote in a message to the campus and community. “We take these allegations very seriously. The alleged conduct continues to be investigated by FIU Police Department in coordination with local, state, and federal law enforcement.”

Gabriela Burstein, the current president of the FIU College Republicans, said that the only member of the group chat who was in a leadership position was Dariel Gonzalez, who was in charge of recruitment. He resigned at the end of last semester when she took over, “because he did not want to be under my leadership,” Burstein told Political Cortadito. “Some members consider me a RINO [Republian in name only] because I don’t hold certain extremist views.”

Um, could it be because she’s a Jewish woman? In the group chat texts posted by The Floridian, Gonzalez advises someone to use a condom when having sex with a Jewish woman. “Chances are you could have a little k— running around,” he wrote.

“I do identify as a Jewish student and it has sometimes been,” Burstein pauses, “difficult.”

But the biggest, loudest critics, naturally, have been the Democrats. Almost every candidate for local elected office has denounced the chat group’s words and tone. Political consultant Christian Ulvert, who represents a lot of them, took it a step further, saying that the Miami-Dade GOP should cease any involvement in the efforts to recall Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who is the county’s first female and first Jewish mayor.

“The vile racist and antisemitic messages exposed from a group chat administered by the leadership of the Miami-Dade Republican Party should open the eyes to many in our community as racial slurs, antisemitic rhetoric, and jokes about violence against Black Americans are shared without concern,” Ulvert said. “Worse, they show a celebration of the darkest days in our nation and world, and sadly they are not an isolated incident as earlier this year revealed the same toxic culture circulating in political spaces tied to Republican party activists.

“This is the same Miami-Dade Republican Party that is actively pushing a recall effort against Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the county’s first woman and first Jewish mayor,” he continued. “They want voters to trust their judgment about who should lead this community, while their own leadership was running a group chat filled with racism and antisemitism.

“Before the Miami-Dade GOP tries to remove anyone from office, it needs to clean its own house,” Ulvert said.

“Beyond forcing resignations or removal from their leadership all individuals associated with this vitriol and disgusting actions, the Miami-Dade Republican Party should show courage and immediately cease any further association, efforts or activities around the recall efforts on Miami-Dade’s first Jewish mayor. To refuse taking this step will further condone the actions and language expressed by their leadership.”

The Miami-Dade GOP has weathered plenty of controversies over the years. But the next few days will determine whether this one becomes a campus embarrassment or another chapter in the party’s long, uncomfortable relationship with the people hanging around its edges.

Because screenshots, unlike campaign promises, don’t disappear.

And Miami politics always has a way of forwarding the message.

This kind of independent, government watchdog reporting is crucial to transparency and democracy. And more so every day. Help shine a light on the darker corners of our community with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

Miami GOP’s recurring bigotry problem raises ugly head in FIU group chat added by Ladra on March 6, 2026
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