Dozens of members of the Cuban exile community gathered this Saturday in front of the Cubamax Travel facilities in Hialeah, Florida, to protest against the company on the fifth anniversary of the historic protests of July 11, 2021, in Cuba.
The demonstration, organized by activist Ariel Góngora and the group Exilio Unido Ya, was live-streamed on Facebook from early in the morning, featuring participants of various ages, including elderly individuals and a 14-year-old boy who, according to Góngora, has been attending these protests for four years.
The protesters carried signs with the slogans “#SOS Political Prisoners” and “Cuba Demands Freedom,” as well as banners that directly called out Giraldo Acosta, vice president of Cubamax, as a “collaborator of the dictatorship.”
Góngora was categorical in describing the company: "The owners of Cubamax, Carlos Trujillo and Giraldo Acosta, are front men for the Castro dictatorship," he wrote in a Facebook post during the day.
In his live broadcast, he added: "These are the main accomplices of the dictatorship. They are the ones who sustain the repressive forces, they are the ones who keep that leadership in power, living like kings."
The activist Iliana Curra Lussón also participated and documented the event, describing it as "peaceful but vigorous." "We are here as always confronting communism, confronting the Castrists, and confronting the allies and accomplices of terrorism in Cuba," she stated at the beginning of the protest.
During the demonstration, Cubamax played reggaeton music at a high volume, which the protesters interpreted as a deliberate tactic to drown out their chants.
"Today they have no shame, on a day like today playing reggaeton music while we are here," Góngora pointed out.
The Hialeah Police were present at the site throughout the day, with no incidents reported.
The accusations against Cubamax are not new. According to a publication from Diario de Cuba, the Central Bank of Cuba formally authorized Cubamax Travel Inc. to operate as a remittance manager under the supervision of the Cuban regulator. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the regime granted it special flight permissions when the airports were closed.
In June 2024, the municipality of Hialeah approved a resolution to deny benefits to businesses linked to the regime, partly fueled by a request from Cubamax to expand its locations.
The company categorically rejects all these claims, asserting that it is a private entity that "bridges the gap" with the Cuban community.
The fifth anniversary of July 11 arrives at a time of maximum repression on the island. Cuba records between 1,281 and 1,306 political prisoners, a record number that includes 40 minors and 458 individuals with serious illnesses.
The April 2026 pardon, which released more than 2,000 prisoners, explicitly excluded those convicted of "crimes against authority," the category used to criminalize the protesters from July 11th.
Góngora reported in his broadcast that several opponents within Cuba had been besieged in their homes and threatened the night before the anniversary.
In parallel to the protest in front of Cubamax, Marco Rubio demanded the immediate release of Cuban political prisoners and warned that the United States would use "all available tools," while a gathering was also taking place in Miami in front of Domino Park on Calle Ocho, with similar calls reported in Tampa and Madrid.
"What matters is that the people of Cuba and the political prisoners feel protected today, with this reminder, with our presence, the exile in the streets, that we are with them," concluded Góngora from outside Cubamax.
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