President Obama said in a letter to a Florida woman that he’s working behind the scenes to help protesters in Venezuela.

Rep. Joe Garcia (D-Fla.) delivered the letter to Ruth Alcala Sunday morning, according to the Florida Democrat’s office.

{mosads}Alcala, who was born in Venezuela and immigrated to the U.S. 24 years ago, wrote to Obama when unrest broke out in Venezuela. She posted the letter and started an online petition a few days ago, saying she was disappointed in the lack of media attention on Venezuela.

“Thank you for your letter which Congressman Joe Garcia brought to my attention,” Obama wrote. “I’m deeply troubled by the continued repression of protestors in Venezuela, and in addition to working behind the scenes with our international partners, I have called not he Venezuelan government to release detainees, stop criminalizing dissent, and stop using government backed groups to sow violence.”

“Rest assured, that we will continue to champion the legislative grievances of the Venezuelan people. With our international partners, we have pushed for real dialogue with third party mediators. And we believe that all Venezuelans deserve the same rights and freedoms as people throughout the Americas,” Obama added.

“While the attentions of the American public may have gone elsewhere, the Venezuelan people continue their struggle for freedom, democracy, and a better future for their country,” Garcia said in a statement. “Though I have been assured that Venezuela is a priority for this administration, I will continue to push to ensure it remains as such.”

“The assumption that the US government isn’t doing anything is probably pretty naive. We are working with allies in the region, and we have been very supportive of the civil society of Venezuela” Garcia added.