The U.S. energy blockade, described by Havana resident Delfina Hernández as a sharpening of longtime U.S. sanctions and an “imperialist threat,” has deepened the island’s crises, prompting a nationwide mobilization in Cuba. President Miguel Díaz-Canel launched the “My signature for the Homeland” campaign on April 19, 2026, gathering signatures at workplaces and neighborhoods to support national sovereignty and defy escalating U.S. aggression.
This popular initiative comes as Cuba marks the 65th anniversary of its April 1961 Bay of Pigs victory over some 1,500 Cuban exiles backed by the CIA, who failed in their attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro’s newly formed Communist government. The current campaign, which has not disclosed how many signatures it has collected, has drawn mixed reactions, with some critics on social media questioning why people would stand in line to sign when hunger and poverty are growing across the island.
Imperialist Aggression Escalates
The campaign directly confronts the ongoing threats from the United States. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2026 asserting that the “policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat.” Trump has repeatedly referred to the island as a “failing nation” and suggested a “friendly takeover,” further escalating tensions in mid-April 2026 by stating, “We may stop by Cuba after we’re finished with this,” referring to the war in Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents fled Cuba before the revolution, has publicly called for “new people in charge” of Cuba. The Trump administration has demanded that Cuba release political prisoners, implement major economic reforms, and change its way of governance. These demands are rejected by Cuba, which views them as attempts to dismantle its socialist system and open the country to foreign capital.
Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez countered these assertions on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, writing in a post on X that “It is absurd for the State Department to claim that Cuba — a relatively small, developing country subjected to a brutal economic war — could pose a threat to the world’s greatest military, technological, and economic power.”
Workers Mobilize Against Blockade
Despite the economic hardship, working-class Cubans are mobilizing to defend their sovereignty. Rodolfo Ruiz, 64, who sells sunglasses and other items from his Havana home, stated, “Anything for the revolution,” and signed last week due to Trump’s comments. Ruiz warned, “Watch out, Trump. Think before you invade Cuba, think carefully. The people are prepared.”
Delfina Hernández, who runs a community center in Havana with her husband, was the first to sign the campaign sheets provided to her center for three days last week. Hernández affirmed, “Cuba is something very sacred to us,” and declared, “We are well-armed, and the people of Cuba will fight to the very end. We are going to hit them — and with everything we’ve got.” Her husband, Alberto Olivera, a visual artist, questioned the U.S. narrative, asking, “If it’s a failed revolution, then leave us alone,” and, “What do they care?”
Olivera acknowledged experiencing hunger at times but asserted that the U.S. “pressure cooker” tactic would not work, adding, “If I’m a failed state, why are you seeking me out?” President Díaz-Canel has stated he does not want military aggression but noted Cuba’s duty to prepare to avoid it and, if necessary, defeat it.
The Cost of Capital's Demands
The Cuban government states the signatures are meant to condemn “the U.S. blockade and economic war against Cuba,” which it has labeled a “genocidal act.” The campaign also repudiates threats of military aggression while upholding “the inalienable right of Cubans to live in peace.” While both countries have confirmed recent talks, details remain secret, and the U.S. continues its demands for economic reforms that would serve to integrate Cuba into the global capitalist system, rather than addressing the root causes of the island's crises exacerbated by the blockade.