The streets of Little Havana were alive with energy Tuesday night, but nowhere was the pulse of the election felt more intensely than outside Versailles, the iconic Cuban restaurant that has long been the beating heart of Miami’s Cuban-American community. The atmosphere was charged with a fervor that only the most impassioned political moments can bring.
The crowd was not just large, it was loud. Cheers, chants and slogans cut through the humid night air as supporters waved flags and wore Trump gear emblazoned with slogans like “Make America Great Again.”
Among the hundreds of Republican voters was a man who would only give his name as “Osvaldo.” He said he was forced to escape from Cuba when he was only a child.
“My parents did not take me out of one communist regime at 9 years old just to end up in another one,” said Osvaldo, referring to Kamala Harris. “They want to steal the election, but they won’t be able to.”
Many in the crowd referred to candidate Donald Trump’s plan for massive deportation of illegal immigrants.
“Trump doesn’t stand against immigration, he stands against illegal immigration” said Jorge Jahn, who attended the rally wearing a MAGA hat. “The people that are coming are not vetted, we don’t know where they come from, we don’t know their background and they are causing problems.”
