Florida Republican Leader Under Fire After Racist Group Chat Revealed

A racist group chat involving Miami-Dade County Republican Party members, including secretary Abel Carvajal, sparks calls for his resignation.

By Robert Hill

A racist group chat involving members of the Miami-Dade Republican Party, including the party’s secretary Abel Carvajal, has sparked calls from GOP lawmakers for his resignation and expulsion from party leadership.

On March 4, The Miami Herald reported messages from the chat that contained repeated uses of racial slurs, including the n-word, along with antisemitic language and references to Nazi Germany.

The messages were linked to a group chat created by Carvajal. The group included several young Republican activists, such as Florida International University College Republicans Membership Director Dariel Gonzalez and FIU Turning Point USA Chapter President Ian Valdes.

Several lawmakers have condemned the messages and called for those involved to resign from leadership positions within the Miami-Dade Republican Party. Senators Ana Maria Rodriguez, Ileana Garcia, and Alexis Calatayud issued a joint statement denouncing the language used in the group chat.

“Antisemitism and racism have no place in our society. We strongly condemn and find despicable the vile and unacceptable language that has been discovered in a group chat associated with the Miami-Dade County’s Republican Party Secretary,” a joint statement from Sens. Ana Maria Rodriguez, Ileana Garcia, and Alexis Calatayud reads, as reported by CBS News. “The statements made by those individuals clarify their moral and intellectual corruption and demonstrate a complete misalignment with core, shared American values.”

The lawmakers called for immediate consequences for those involved in the chat. They urged Carvajal to step down from his position in response to his actions.

Members in the group reportedly used the n-word over 200 times, along with other racial slurs and discussions surrounding destabilizing the leadership of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County.

Other details within the chat displayed jokes about violent acts against African Americans.

As reported by The Floridian, participants frequently made jokes about extreme violence against Black people. The messages reflected disturbing fantasies about harming and even eliminating African Americans. Carvajal not only stayed in the chat but also participated in the conversation, sharing his own derogatory remarks and at times encouraging the tone of the discussion.

Rep. Juan Porras, R-Miami, who also serves on the Republican Executive Committee for Miami-Dade County, admitted that the language used in the chat crossed a line and that Republicans need to hold themselves accountable.

Carvajal admitted that he created the chat but denied responsibility for the messages shared. He also said that he had no plans to resign from his current position.