A hero’s welcome for Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara as he arrived in Miami following his release from prison in Cuba. The dissident artist accepted exile after the United States granted him humanitarian parole. Otero Alcántara co-founded the San Isidro Movement, a collective of Havana-based artists, writers, and musicians that protests against the Cuban government.

In 2021, he was arrested in Havana during anti-government demonstrations and was later sentenced to five years in prison on charges of public disorder, contempt, and disrespect for national symbols. Carla Colomé Santiago, a Cuban journalist based in Miami, shares her insights.