Activists protest Cuba sanctions while staying in luxury amid power outages
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Far-left activist groups and figures flocked to Havana, Cuba, this week to protest economic sanctions imposed on the country by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The far-left group CodePink sponsored flights to the communist-led island and told the group, D-Minn. Representative Isra Hirsi, daughter of Ilhan Omar, and left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, an ally of democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, attended. The group faced heavy backlash for staying in expensive hotels and meeting with government officials while Cubans remained without electricity.
Trump imposed an oil blockade on Cuba earlier this year after the United States captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Some delegates, including Piker, in the “Nuestra America Convoy” were staying at the 5-star Gran Hotel Bristol Meliá Collection and similar resorts. Piker defended the move on social media, saying US law required them to stay in luxury hotels.
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Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and CodePink’s Jodie Evans. (CodePink via Storyful)
“The American government makes it illegal for Americans to stay anywhere they want in Cuba,” Piker told his followers. “They have to stay in places declared as 5-star hotels.”
The claim was quickly pushed back on social media, with Community Note X stating that US law only prevents Americans from staying at venues owned by the Cuban government or officials.
CodePink announced that it delivered thousands of pounds of aid to Cuba as part of the trip organized by Cuban politician Mariela Castro and the non-profit organization Progressive International. New York Post.
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Isra Hirsi, daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar, speaks onstage during the Teen Vogue Summit at Goya Studios in Los Angeles on December 4, 2021. (Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Teen Vogue)
The group’s arrival in Cuba and the subsequent flood of social media videos took place over the weekend, when the Cuban Electricity Association declared a total power outage on the island on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, made statements about the island in Havana, saying “they need to appoint new people.”
Meanwhile, Pentagon officials tell lawmakers they have no plans to invade CubaEven though they describe it as a long-standing security issue.
People walk and ride bicycles on a street without electricity during a nationwide power outage in Havana on March 22, 2026. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
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While Cuban officials continue to blame U.S. sanctions for the country’s economic woes, analysts say the government faces increasing pressure from ongoing power outages, shortages of basic goods and growing social frustration.
Fox News’ Amy Galo contributed to this report.
