The Cuban actor and theater director Alejandro Palomino reported that two men broke into his home to steal while his entire family was sleeping, which triggered a wave of reactions among figures from the Cuban artistic community.
Before recounting the incident, the actor made it clear that he does not expect much from the institutions.
"I know that the constant blackouts, the definitive absence of nighttime police patrols, and the rest of the incompetence have created all the conditions for crime and criminality to operate at will. Complaints are unnecessary," he admitted.
What happened that night
According to Palomino, the intruders gained access to the house through his daughter-in-law Daniela's room, where her son, a boy of only two years old, was also sleeping.
“Last night two guys broke into my house. They did it through my daughter-in-law's room while her two-year-old son was sleeping next to her,” wrote the actor.
It was a noise caused by the criminals themselves that woke Daniela, and as she moved, it prompted them to flee without taking anything.
“Although no tragedy occurred beyond the potential theft, our entire family is still in shock. It’s something that leaves a deep mark on you,” recounted Palomino.
A direct warning to those in charge
Palomino did not limit himself to recounting the events and issued a clear warning to those who entered his home.
"I just want to warn these tyrants that they took a gamble. Because while they could have plunged us into tragedy, into an act of bloodshed and everything that represents, they also exposed themselves to the worst. I have 'tools' to make them pay with their lives for this aggression. Don't doubt it!!," the actor warned in his post.
The reaction of the Cuban artistic world
The publication triggered a wave of shocked reactions, many of them from figures in the cultural sphere, who combined solidarity with an open critique of the deteriorating security on the island.
The comedian Rigoberto Ferrera summed up his indignation with a succinct "Damn..., brother," while the playwright Ulises Rodríguez Febles expressed: "I am shocked by what you're saying, a reality that one hears every day and that becomes more tragic when it happens to oneself or to someone dear."
The critic and journalist Frank Eduardo Padrón Nodarse was emphatic: “A jungle. That’s what this battered country has become. I’m glad that nothing serious happened.”
Ulises Aquino Guerra pointed to institutional responsibility: "We live in a constant state of alarm. It is a shame the neglect to which citizens are exposed."
Luis Lacosta was more direct in pointing out to the police: "Crime already owns the streets. There is no police force to combat it; they only show up when there is a political issue."
Alina Torres summarized the emotional aftermath that these episodes leave behind: "What happens is that it creates a feeling of helplessness that is difficult to overcome."
An increasing context of insecurity
The episode is not an isolated case. The actor Luis Alberto García warned in July about the rise in crime and questioned the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) for prioritizing political repression over citizen security.
The data supports that perception. The Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit reported 2,833 verified crimes in 2025, a 115% increase compared to 2024, with thefts as the dominant category: 1,536 cases.
In the first half of 2026, crime became more lethal in Cuba: documented murders increased by 42.9% compared to the same period in 2025.
Several commentators have linked the rise in nighttime thefts to the prolonged blackouts —which in 2026 have exceeded 20 consecutive hours in some areas— and to the internal crisis within the National Revolutionary Police, which has reportedly lost about 20% of its personnel.
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