“The Real Issue in Cuba Is the Blockade” | Episode 4: U.S. Voices Against the Blockade
May 25, 2026
Victor Coronado is a U.S. activist with the Hands Off Cuba Committee who traveled to the island in solidarity with the Cuban people.
After visiting the island, he says many people in the U.S. have been given a distorted image of the country. What he found instead, he says, was an organized society where people were respectful, professional and where he felt safe.
According to Coronado, Cuba’s biggest obstacle is the U.S.-imposed blockade.
He argues that sanctions and new restrictions have cut Cuba off from markets, technology, capital and oil, making economic recovery far more difficult. “You can’t run a society without oil,” he says.
U.S. Voices Against the Blockade is a series featuring U.S. citizens who oppose U.S. sanctions on Cuba.
Watch other episodes and stay tuned for more voices challenging the U.S. government’s economic war on Cuba.
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“The real issue is the blockade,” said Victor Coronado, activist with the Hands Off Cuba Committee.
“The real issue is the new measures against Cuba,” Coronado added.
“You can't run a society without oil,” he said.
“They need oil. They need the blockade lifted,” the activist argued.
“I'm here to show solidarity to the Cuban people,” Coronado said.
“We're also trying to bring attention to the fact that there's an illegal, criminal blockade against Cuba,” he added.
“The blockade is really what's preventing Cuba from advancing and turning to a developed country,” Coronado explained.
“And so that's the biggest problem here in Cuba,” he said.
“There's a lot of misconceptions about what Cuba is,” the activist added.
“I'll explain it from the point of view of my mother,” Coronado said.
“My mother, who is not political at all, she's Dominican-American, speaks no English, lives in the United States and she believes that Cuba is this evil dictatorship,” he explained.
“When I told her I was coming here to Cuba, she said: ‘Be careful, don't talk politics,’” Coronado added.
“And so there's a lot of confusion about what Cuba is and what it isn't,” he said.
“But, in my experience here so far, what I see is an organized society of people that are very respectful, professional,” the activist stated.
“I feel very safe in Cuba,” Coronado said.
“Clearly there are a lot of economic problems, like there are in the Dominican Republic, like there are all over Latin America,” he added.
“The blockade prevents Cuba from getting access to markets, technology and capital, and that's what Cuba needs,” Coronado argued.
“And until the blockade is lifted, until these new measures are reversed, Cuba is not going to be able to advance,” he concluded.
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