Cuban activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara warns of possible larger social uprising

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, a 38‑year‑old Cuban artist and founder of the opposition group Movimiento San Isidro, arrived in Miami on humanitarian parole granted by the Trump administration after serving a five‑year sentence in Cuba. In an interview he said there are “conditions for a lapidary social explosion in Cuba” that could surpass the July 2021 protests, calling for a peaceful structure that could bring “millions on the streets.”

He thanked Donald Trump and urged U.S. and international support for political change, but said he would not back a U.S. military operation. Otero Alcántara added that many Cubans now trust the words of Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio more than those of President Miguel Díaz‑Canel, reflecting growing frustration with the island’s government.