A trio of distinguished, now Miami-based former political office holders are calling on Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders to walk back his repeated praise for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

In a statement released to Latin Post from Hillary Clinton's campaign, former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States Luis Lauredo, former Southeast Region Representative to the U.S. Department of Labor Millie Herrera and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere Dr. Frank Mora all demanded that Sanders disavow his apparent support of Castro.

"Fidel Castro is responsible for some of the greatest human rights abuses Hispanics in the Western Hemisphere have faced, and his harsh dictatorial rule sent hundreds of thousands of Cubans fleeing to this country," reads the statement, which openly takes Sanders to task for his decision to stand by his words during a recent Univision debate against Clinton.

Sanders Stands by his Words

Sanders and Clinton are locked in an intense battle to secure the Latino vote in Florida, particularly after a recent Pew Research study found that Hispanic Americans account for 88 percent of the Democratic growth across the state.

Still, during the aforementioned debate between the two candidates, Sanders stood by his past praise of the Castro regime, prompting a rapid-fire response from many who staunchly oppose his view.

"For someone seeking the presidency to defend his regime and refuse to disavow it is stunning," the recently released statement added. "Cubans in Florida are proud of their heritage - but they want a president who will acknowledge and condemn the darkest elements of Cuba's past, not hold them up as an example."

The debate over Sanders' position was awaken anew after organizers of the Univision debate aired 30-year-of clip of him openly praising Castro, the communist Cuban dictator who first rose to power in the 1950s.

When confronted on debate night, Sanders, an avowed socialist, held true to his principles, praising Cuba's universal health care and education systems, while completely steering clear of Castro's undemocratic government.

"What that was about was saying that the United States was wrong to try to invade Cuba, that the United States was wrong trying to support people to overthrow the Nicaraguan government, that the United States was wrong trying to overthrow in 1954 the democratically elected government of Guatemala," he told moderators.

Americans Support end to Cuban Embargo

While a recent Pew Research study showed that the majority of Americans support ending the trade embargo with Cuba and working through long time differences with the country, the Clinton campaign has moved in quickly in seeking to capitalize on the controversy.

"I think in that same interview he praised what he called the revolution of values in Cuba and talked about how people were working for the common good, not for themselves," said Clinton. "I just couldn't disagree more. You know, if the values are that you oppress people, you disappear people, imprison people or even kill people for expressing their opinions, for expressing freedom of speech, that is not the kind of revolution of values that I ever want to see anywhere."

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