BY LESLEY CLARK AND BETH REINHARD

A powerful New York politician's participation in a South Florida congressional race is riling some Latin Americans in Miami who see him as a friend to their biggest enemies: Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez.

U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel is billed as a ''special guest'' at an April 21 fundraiser in New York City for Democrat Joe Garcia, who is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart.

MET WITH CASTRO

Rangel has met several times with Castro and he advocates lifting the trade embargo and travel restrictions aimed at squeezing Cuba's communist regime, arguing the Cuban people are being cut off from democracy. And in 2006, he touted a program to distribute discounted fuel from Citgo -- owned by the Chávez government -- to poor New York City residents.

On Thursday, those stances prompted the Independent Venezuelan American Citizens and 18 graduates of Garcia's old high school in Miami -- several with Republican ties -- to call on him to ''renounce'' Rangel's support. Outraged Cuban Americans have also been blasting the two men's connection on Spanish-language radio and blogs.

''We want to alert Joe that he's making a mistake,'' said Ernesto Ackerman, president of the non-partisan Venezuelan group. ``If you're in a community with a majority of Latin Americans, you have to think about who your allies are going to be.''

Garcia, who is Cuban-American, says he has ''profound disagreements'' with Rangel on foreign policy, but notes that Rangel, who chairs the influential House Ways and Means Committee, could be a key ally in securing federal dollars for the district.

''My job in Congress will be to represent Florida's 25th congressional district -- the most poorly federally funded district in Florida -- on revitalizing our economy, bringing better jobs to our community, improving education for our children and providing tax relief for middle-class families,'' Garcia said in a statement. 'My history of fighting on behalf of human rights in Cuba and Latin America exceeds my opponent's limited `one-note' accomplishments.''

One of Garcia's fellow graduates from Belen Jesuit Preparatory School who signed the letter condemning Rangel, Republican state Rep. Marcelo Llorente of Miami, acknowledged Rangel's clout, but said he's ''really out of step'' with the community.

A Rangel spokesman, Emile Milne, said the congressman is no friend to Castro and Chávez, pointing out that Rangel strongly denounced the Venezuelan president when Chávez called President Bush ''the devil'' at a 2006 speech at the United Nations. ''You don't come into my country; you don't come into my congressional district and you don't condemn my president,'' Rangel declared at the time.

RESPONSE

Democracy for America, a Democratic political action committee, is trying to leverage the controversy over Rangel's involvement in the race in a fundraising appeal on behalf of Garcia. A spokesman for Diaz-Balart has called Rangel a ``left-wing extremist.''

''No one has ever accused Rep. Diaz-Balart of being an effective congressman, but his new attack on Joe Garcia shows what an empty suit he is,'' said Daniel Medress, Democracy for America's spokesman.