A huge billboard displaying the phrase "Wannabe Dictator" along with the face of President Donald Trump was erected this Friday on a busy highway in Miami-Dade, as part of a public protest organized by the group "Keep Them Honest".
The sign, located over Freedom Park near Miami International Airport, aims to send a direct message to Trump, who is in southern Florida. “When the president brings Air Force One to our community, he is going to have to see this billboard. I hope he wonders why they're calling me a dictator in Miami-Dade,” stated Chris Wills, spokesperson for the organization.
This is the eighth time that "Keep Them Honest" has installed protest signs in the county. According to Telemundo 51, in previous instances, they have targeted Republican figures such as Marco Rubio, María Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart, and Carlos Giménez, whom they accuse of supporting—or failing to oppose—Trump's immigration policies, labeling them as "traitors."
The installation of the sign coincides with a growing immigration tension. One day earlier, President Trump requested the Supreme Court to eliminate the humanitarian parole program, initiated by the Biden administration, which has benefited over 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, and Nicaragua.
Adelys Ferro, an immigrant advocate, believes that Trump's goal is to “eliminate all immigration benefits to deport as many people as possible.” Ferro participated in a vigil held in Doral alongside beneficiaries of TPS and parole, where they demanded the continuation of immigration protections.
"We are hardworking people who deserve a chance. Many of us do not have a country to return to," he stated.
The Department of Justice seeks to overturn a decision by a federal judge that limited the mass elimination of parole by requiring a case-by-case evaluation. The future of the program is now in the hands of the Supreme Court.
The controversy over the billboards in Miami
This new billboard adds to a series of recent advertising controversies in South Florida, where political billboards have sparked protests, divisions, and public demonstrations.
In June 2024, a billboard installed in Miami caused a stir, featuring an image of Fidel Castro alongside Trump, under the message "No to dictators. No to Trump". The comparison sparked protests from Cuban exiles, who organized vigils and if the advertisement was not removed.
The controversy forced the authorities to intervene and, ultimately, the poster was taken down. However, Cuban supporters of the Republican also funded another billboard, highlighting the high level of polarization among exiled Cubans regarding the U.S. president.
This dynamic reflects an increasingly tense political climate in Miami-Dade County, where outdoor advertising has become a new battleground for ideological conflict.
Filed under:
