An American activist stated that part of the Cuban community in Miami "doesn't have the best intentions for the Cubans on the island," during an organized visit in Havana.
Sabrina Díaz, a member of the Party of Socialism and Freedom and a member of the “Let Cuba Live” brigade, stated in a report from Cuban state television: “I come here and bring the information I have from the island to Miami, because I know that in Miami there is a base of Cubans who, I don’t know, do not have the best intentions for those on the island”.
His words were made in the context of a tour of state institutions, as part of an agenda coordinated with official organizations in Cuba.
The brigade, consisting of 41 young people from various political and social organizations in the United States, visited the Ciudad Escolar Libertad, where they interacted with students and teachers, as well as the Juan Manuel Márquez pediatric hospital.
In that same report, another member of the group, Karina Hwang, a member of Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, questioned U.S. policy and stated that schools are facing a shortage of resources, to the extent that she has to purchase basic materials for her students. She also expressed her confusion as to why the United States "is exposing this type of situation to other people [...] without taking care of our own."
Díaz's statements sparked a strong reaction among users who commented on the video published on the Facebook page of CiberCuba Noticias. Numerous messages questioned her judgment in expressing opinions about the Cuban reality and defended the role of the exile community. "What does she know about us?" one user wrote, while another pointed out: "thanks to these Cubans with bad intentions, many Cubans have food and access to medicine."
Several comments emphasized that the financial support from emigrants is crucial for many families on the island: “my girl, find out how many Cubans eat with dollars from Miami” and “we are the ones doing everything for those in Cuba; we send medicine and food.”
It was also questioned whether judgments are made without having experienced the conditions in the country: "go live in Cuba for a month with the ration book and you'll see" and "when they get tired, they pack up and leave; don’t comment on what you haven't lived through day by day."
Other users questioned the legitimacy of her claims: “And how many citizens of the island has she asked what they want?”, “She knows nothing about us Cubans,” and “She is not Cuban and doesn’t know what is happening in Cuba.”
Some comments also pointed to the contrast between the political discourse and the economic reality of the country: "when a country has to survive on aid, its government is redundant" and "these aids serve more for political propaganda than for solving problems."
Filed under: