The youth collective 'Fuera de la Caja Cuba' responded on Monday in a video to the 176 economic measures announced by the regime, with a clear message: no reform can repair decades of suffering, and the only solution is for the government to relinquish power.
Some reforms cannot repair 67 years of suffering. What Cuba truly needs…is for them to leave once and for all, the group wrote on their X account, accompanied by the hashtag #makecubagreatagain.
The statement comes four days after Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz presented to the National Assembly the package of 176 economic measures that the regime deems the largest reform in decades.
“Check this out: international store chains, franchises, brands, foreign investment in the real estate sector are authorized, even farmers can export their products... this is pure capitalism!,” says the young Abel Alejandro Andrés Navarro in the video.
On the other side, the young Amanda Beatriz Andrés Navarro responds with evident irony: “But then, why did they spend 67 years building socialism? Just look how good capitalism is; it even helps to save socialism!”.
Among the approved measures are the authorization of private banking, the creation of private exchange houses, the removal of the cap of 100 workers for small and medium-sized enterprises, greater openness to foreign investment, and the gradual introduction of VAT.
The package also includes reducing the ministerial apparatus from 27 to between 20 and 21 ministries, and an increase in the minimum wage from 2,100 to 3,210 Cuban pesos, a rise of 53%.
However, the reforms have not quelled social discontent. According to the Cuban Observatory of Conflicts, May 2026 saw 1,311 protests, the highest monthly figure documented so far. In June, protests continued with pot-banging, tire burnings, and street blockades in Havana neighborhoods such as San Miguel del Padrón, La Güinera, Carlos III, and Centro Habana.
The U.S. government itself described the reforms as "superficial smoke signals" on June 20, dismissing them as not indicative of any real structural change.
«Why didn't they do it earlier? After 67 years, they finally realized? They are so shameless... there are still people imprisoned for proposing that,» Amanda asked before concluding: «But it's too late now... what I want is for them to leave, because no one believes them anymore.»
'Fuera de la Caja Cuba' emerged in January 2026 in the Cerro municipality of Havana, consisting of four young people around 20 years old: Amanda, Abel, Karel Daniel Hernández Bosques, and Mauro Reigos Pérez. The group uses art, theater, and digital content as forms of protest, wearing red caps with the slogan "Make Cuba Great Again" as their identity mark.
Since its public emergence, the collective has been the target of systematic reprisals: State Security disabled their phones through ETECSA, hacked their WhatsApp accounts, and conducted intimidating visits to the homes of their relatives since February 2026.
Amnesty International documented these intimidations in April 2026 and explicitly cited the group in a report on political repression in Cuba. In May, the head of the U.S. Mission in Havana, Mike Hammer, met with members of the collective, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly sent them greetings and encouragement.
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