Caravan participants support Trump, demand liberation of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua

Thousands of people took to the streets of Miami on Saturday for what was billed as an Anti-Socialist and Anti-Communist Caravan to demand the liberation of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua and warn the United Sates about the dangers of socialism.

Organizers claimed that about 20,000 people took part in the car rally, a method used to prevent the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. After leaving the Magic City Casino area, the caravan headed to the Brigade 2506 monument and the Plaza de la Cubanidad on West Flagler Street.

The Patriotic Organizing Committee, made up of Cuban exile organizations such as the Brigade 2506 and the Directorio Democratico, said there was no political-party involvement in the rally, although the majority of the participants carried signs supporting President Donald Trump.

Before 8 a.m. the parking lot of the Magic City Casino at 450 NW 37th Ave. was already jammed with cars carrying signs supporting the reelection of Trump, who polls show is strongly favored by Cuban Americans.

Trump ended the engagement policy of his predecessor, Barack Obama, and tightened and expanded U.S. sanctions on Cuba, accusing its government of maintaining Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in power even though many democratic nations have refused to recognize his government and the United Nations has accused him of crimes against humanity.

The Trump campaign has accused Democratic opponent Joe Biden of being a “socialist.” Biden denies that and has promised to pressure the Cuban government to respect human rights and bring back the policy of engaging with Cuba, launched when he was Obama’s vice president.

The caravan drew several Cuban exile leaders and former political prisoners, as well as local politicians.

“As on October 10 of 1868, the Anti Communist and Anti socialist Caravan for Freedom and Democracy arose organically from all our exile community, from all generations, headed by the historic exiles,” said Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, head of de Directorio Democrático, one of the groups that organized the caravan. “Together with our Latin American brothers, we have a very clear message: Our moral priority is to defend the United States, the liberation of Cuba and the hemisphere with love. Today we start the road to our second independence as Cubans.”

Oct. 10, 1868, marked the start of Cuba’s fight for independence from Spain.

“Miami is the bastion of anti-communism in the hemisphere,” said former Cuban political prisoner Luis Zuñiga.

For Alejandro Reyes, a 31-year-old Cuban who participated in the rally, it was “the mother of all caravans” in support of Trump in Miami.

“I’ve been waiting 30 minutes to move my car and I can’t because the streets are jammed with so many people. The exiles are sending a strong and clear signal to the politicians: We don’t want deals with the Castro dictatorship. We want freedom for Cuba,” he said.

YouTube star Alex Otaola, who also helped organize the event, organized previous caravans to try to influence Cuba policies.

“I think it was very powerful. Miami is very active, which we haven’t seen in a long time. Anti-communism is a factor that unites our communities, as well as the support for President Trump,” Otaola said.

The caravan included Cubans, Venezuelans, Colombians and Nicaraguans who carried flags and banners reflecting their countries.

Willy Chirino’s iconic son “Ya viene llegando” (“It’s Coming Soon”), which evokes the day when exiles will return to Cuba, blared from many of the vehicles, as well as classic Cuban songs like La Cuba Mía and Por si acaso no regreso by Celia Cruz, whose songs are still blocked from Cuban government radio and TV.

“We have suffered too much under Castro-Chavismo, and we’re going to uproot it from all of Latin America,” said María Teresa Verdura, a Colombian who participated in the caravan with her family.

“I know that if Trump wins he will support Colombia. He’s not just a president of the United States. He is president of the world,” she said.

Amelia Bombera, a Coral Gables resident, said she joined the caravan to demand respect for the Second Amendment’s protection of the right to bear arms.

Diego Miguel Tintorero, who said he was a member of Alpha 66, a militant anti-Castro organization, said he opposed the caravan and had considered throwing himself in front of one of the vehicles to stop it.

“They have been taking [taxpayers’] money for years and this goes nowhere. How many communists and socialists are there in Cuba? Are you going to kill all of them?” he asked

Tintorero, known in Miami for his showy protests, also lamented that the Oct. 10 anniversary was linked to the Trump campaign. “Let them say that it’s for Trump, but don’t take my country’s date for that. It’s a fraud. Americans don’t like it when July 4 is used for politics. … Here we have a big manipulation for political interests.”

No incidents were reported, although some African Americans along the route displayed Black Lives Matter posters to protest against Trump.

Another caravan in Homestead cruised south on U.S. 1 in support of Biden. Mexican and U.S. flags and signs saying “Mexicans for Biden” were carried from about 30 vehicles.

Homestead, with 70,000 people, has a predominantly Latin population but, unlike Miami, it has large numbers of Mexican and Central American residents.

A recent poll by Bendixen & Amandi International and the Miami Herald showed Biden leading Trump 57% to 37% in Miami-Dade County. Biden’s 20-point advantage reflects a modest increase in support among Hispanic voters.