Trump says he will ‘take over Cuba’ as the island faces blackouts and unrest

MIAMI, Florida – Unrest is growing in Cuba as the communist government struggles to deal with the island’s power outages and economic collapse. As President Donald Trump talks about change on the island, the Cuban community in Miami is left wondering what’s next.

The island experienced 67 years of dictatorship where the Communist Party of Cuba was the only official party. Last week, protesters attacked the Communist Party headquarters on the island overnight, ransacking the building and attempting to set it on fire, according to local reports.

“The protesters are bolder today than ever,” said Jose Collazo, a Cuban immigrant who left the island in the 1960s. “But if you remember four years ago when they came out, they were brutally suppressed.”

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Collazo often spends time at Domino Park in the heart of Little Havana, a Miami neighborhood with a large Cuban immigrant population. He and other Cuban Americans get together for friendly — but highly competitive — games of dominoes and to discuss current affairs.

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the situation in Cuba. On Monday, the collapse of the electricity grid across the country left about 10 million people without electricity, according to statements from the US Embassy and Cuban authorities. Cuban officials said the blackout was related to fuel shortages and the failure of aging power plants.

The entrance to Domino Park in Little Havana on March 18 in Miami, Florida. (Amy Gallo)

Then there’s the ongoing economic crisis made worse in recent months after President Trump threatened tariffs on any country that exports oil to Cuba.

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“They live like in the Stone Age. People in caves. They live like that. It’s sad to see people. [living with] malnutrition, living with ragged clothes,” said Collazo.

The heightened tension on the island comes amid Trump’s remarks that he expects to have the “glory” of taking over Cuba in some way and that “I can do whatever I want” with the neighboring country.

“Cuba is in a very bad situation right now. They’re talking to Marco,” Trump told reporters, “We’re going to do something with Cuba very soon.… we’re dealing with Cuba.”

Anti-government protesters gather at the Maximo Gomez monument in Havana, Cuba. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in several cities in Cuba to protest the ongoing food shortages and high food prices. (AP Photo/Eliana Aponte)

On Tuesday, Marco Rubio, who is the son of Cuban immigrants, also commented on the island, saying that “they must find new people to govern” in Havana.

Meanwhile, Pentagon officials told lawmakers that there are no plans to attack Cuba, which they described as a long-standing security issue.

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An American flag and a Cuban flag are displayed outside Domino Park in Miami, Florida. (Amy Gallo)

“In all the years I’ve been here — going on 47 years — I think it’s the first time I’ve seen really good things happen in Cuba,” said Francisco Botella, a Cuban immigrant living in Miami. “You can see that the situation is very serious this time. Now the system is going down, very down.”

Hearing American leaders discuss the situation brings hope to members of the Cuban community in exile like Botella and Collazo.

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“I think this is the end of Cuba. I think it’s really over. Either the communist leaders go, or what happened to Maduro will happen to them,” said Botella.

Cuban officials have continued to blame US sanctions for the country’s economic slowdown, and analysts say the government is facing increasing pressure from ongoing power outages, supply shortages, and growing public depression.