From exile to action: Cuban Americans fill Florida park for 'Cuba Libre' rally

Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald on Mar 25, 2026

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HIALEAH, Fla. — Longing for a free homeland, hope for change and a deep love for Cuba drew thousands to the streets of Hialeah, where chants of “Libertad” echoed through the city during a “Cuba Libre” rally Tuesday evening.

The gathering at Milander Field was part protest, part celebration — a vibrant echo of a Cuban fiesta. Hats reading “Make Cuba Great Again” and shirts proclaiming “Cubans from Morón” — a central Cuba town where protesters recently set fire to the Communist Party headquarters — or “Patria y Vida” dotted the crowd, while music, from Celia Cruz classics to reggaeton, pulsed through the air. The voice of Cuban singer Amaury Gutiérrez added a melodic thread, weaving nostalgia and pride into the atmosphere.

Amid the chants, one refrain rose above the rest: “Viva Cuba Libre! Abajo la dictadura!”— Long live free Cuba, Down with the dictatorship — powerful declarations of identity, pride, and solidarity uniting generations, from those who left decades ago to younger Cuban Americans, bound by hope and resistance.

The rally, attended by several thousand people, marked the first major event hosted by Hialeah’s new mayor, Bryan Calvo, in the heart of one of the nation’s largest Cuban exile communities where, even though most elected officials are U.S.-born to Cuban parents or grandparents, the cause of a free Cuba has long been used as political leverage in South Florida. Following the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces in January, some Cuban Americans believe this year could finally mark a turning point for the island.

Calvo, in a bilingual address, said that the Cuban people deserve something more than “merely surviving.”

“The Cuban people deserve the right to choose their leaders, and they deserve the right to speak without fear,” he said.

Among those in attendance was Alicia Silverio, who left Santa Clara in central Cuba eight years ago to join her children in Hialeah. She said she came to the rally to defend her homeland.

“Nobody can live there — the situation is brutal,” she said.

Despite the hardships, Silverio, 86, said she remains hopeful. Asked about reported negotiations between the Trump administration and figures linked to the Cuban government, she was clear about her wish: “The only thing I want before I die is to see a free Cuba — to see the communists leave.”

Many in the crowd voiced strong support for the Trump administration’s hard-line approach toward Havana, while firmly rejecting any negotiations with the Cuban government that fall short of full political change. For them, economic concessions without a clear path to democracy are not an option.

Alex Otaola, the flamboyant YouTube influencer who ran for the Miami-Dade mayoral seat in 2024 and co-organized the rally with the city, said the event was meant to send a unified message to Cubans both on and off the island. “The objective is the same for all of us — to overthrow the dictatorship,” he said. “No concessions can be made. You cannot negotiate with a dictatorship — it must be overthrown.”

Cuban dissident José Daniel Ferrer told the Miami Herald he believes Cuba it is in a crucial phase to be free, for three reasons: Cubans on the island are fighting for that freedom with ever-increasing courage every day; the exiles are becoming increasingly united; and a friendly administration in the White House has set itself the goal of ending the tyranny.

“Given the crisis Cuba is enduring and the tragedy it is experiencing, its people are increasingly determined to win their freedom,” Ferrer said. “With Raúl Castro fading from the scene, there is no longer a figure to whom allegiance is owed or one that people need to fear.”

Ferrer said that the only conversations he would agree between the U.S. and the Cuban regime is to get them to leave, not just to make economic reforms without political change.

One of the most emotional moments came when Cuban American singer Lena Burke led the Cuban national anthem, her voice soaring across the crowd. Though not everyone knew the words, many—especially older adults—sang along, turning the anthem into a stirring ode to independence.

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