Lina Luaces, Miss Universe Cuba 2025, took the stage at the 'Free Cuba Rally' held in Hialeah this Tuesday at Milander Park in Hialeah, Florida, to send a direct message to Cubans both on the island and abroad: "We are here supporting you always from Miami."
The video of her intervention, published by the account @soloencalle8, garnered almost 9,000 views within a few hours, with over 700 reactions and dozens of supportive comments.
The rally, organized by the City of Hialeah and the Cuban Anti-Communist Foundation under the call of Mayor Bryan Calvo, brought together thousands of Cuban-American community members along with activists, political leaders, and artists in an act of solidarity with the Cuban people amidst the worst crisis the island has faced in recent years.
The 23-year-old Cuban-American model, daughter of presenter Lili Estefan and niece of Gloria and Emilio Estefan, has established her image as a figure of Cuban activism in the diaspora.
At the end of February, she had already marched in Washington D.C. for the freedom of Cuba, carrying a megaphone and a sign with the slogan "Millions for dictators, zero freedom for Cubans." On that occasion, she stated: "In Cuba, gathering peacefully to demand freedom can result in arrest. No one should fear going to prison for raising their voice out of love for their country."
The 'Free Cuba Rally' also featured the presence of activists such as José Daniel Ferrer, Rosa María Payá, and Orlando Boronat, as well as performances by Yotuel Romero —co-author of 'Patria y Vida'—, El Chacal, Jacob Forever, Los 3 de La Habana, Lena Burke, and Amaury Gutiérrez.
Among the slogans that echoed in the park were "Trump" and "Cuba Next!", demanding action from the United States in response to the crisis on the island.
During the event, Senator Ileana García nominated Marco Rubio as a presidential candidate for 2028, receiving applause from the Cuban exile community. Alexander Otaola, for his part, stated from the stage that freedom for Cuba is near.
The rally occurs during a time of social unrest in Cuba. Since January 2026, the cut in Venezuelan oil supplies — following the capture of Nicolás Maduro — has worsened power outages and fuel shortages.
In February, there were 68 protests on the island, double that of January, and in March, the demonstrations spread to almost all provinces, featuring cacerolazos in El Vedado and the burning of a Communist Party headquarters in Morón, Ciego de Ávila.
The Cuban community abroad has also mobilized in support of the protests. Madrid, Miami, and other cities around the world have taken to the streets in solidarity with the Cuban people, while Cubans in Miami support the protests on the island with ongoing visibility events.
Luaces, crowned Miss Universe Cuba on July 8, 2025 in Hialeah and a finalist among the top 12 in the international competition held in Thailand in November of that year, has responded with activism to the criticisms she received from the official Cuban press, which labeled her as a "sugar-coated version" of Cuban identity.
She summarized it in a single sentence: "I feel more Cuban than American".
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