Miami Artists Targeted Over Cuba Trip

Two well-known Cuban reggaeton singers have canceled their Europe tour days after a Cuban-American politician from Florida singled them out for a trip they made to Cuba.

Dany Ome and Kevincito El 13 were born in Cuba but migrated as children to the United States. In recent years, they have become one of the most successful Cuban reggaeton groups both in Miami and on the island.

The duo traveled throughout Cuba in July and performed in several concerts. At the time, Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-FL) posted on X that artists living in the U.S. who perform in Cuba "will have to face the consequences."

Then, on September 26, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent demanding “penalties” against the artists for violating U.S. sanctions on Cuba. He wrote that they could be "in close collaboration with the regime in Cuba" and "in a mutually beneficial commercial relationship that is channeling hard currency to a terrorist state." 

There is no credible evidence that Cuba supports terrorism.

The artists announced the cancellation of their Europe tour shortly after the letter was sent.

​A statement (in Spanish) from the musicians' legal team attributed the cancellation of the European performances to the “current migratory uncertainty in the U.S.” Kevincito said on Instagram that he was applying to U.S. citizenship and was not supposed to leave the country during the process. He denied that he was facing any travel restrictions imposed due to his trip to Cuba.

There is a long history of U.S. politicians and Miami-based groups pressuring artists to not perform in Cuba and to publicly criticize the Cuban government. 

In November 2023, jazz singer Norah Jones cancelled a tour to Cuba following criticism from the Miami Herald and then Senator Marco Rubio.

The year before, musicians Alex Ubago, Andy y Lucas and Kalimba canceled their participation in a Havana festival.

In recent years, several of the most famous Cuban artists, including Gente de Zona and Lenier, have had performances in the U.S. cancelled due to their trips to Cuba.

“I’m Cuban and I want to sing in Cuba. I feel good there and I get to see my grandmother,” Dany Ome said in the podcast Destino Talk (in Spanish). “Many have their pain and feelings. I respect that. All I ask is that they respect mine.”

On the podcast, Dany Ome said that his mother belonged to the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), a well-known dissident group on the island, before migrating to the United States. According to Ome, she has supported his trips to Cuba.