Photo by Carlos Chacin
Audio By Carbonatix
As Miami’s music community responds to reports of ICE expanding operations in South Florida, a group of local artists is organizing a show aimed at raising awareness and funds for immigrant rights.
On Saturday, February 28, Las Rosas in Allapattah will host Pecado Tropical, a homecoming show led by Sonora Tukukuy. The event will benefit the Right to Freedom Network, a Miami-based organization founded by domestic workers and survivors of labor trafficking. A suggested $10 donation at the door will go toward supporting the group’s advocacy and outreach efforts.
Sonora Tukukuy founding member Gabriel Ayala says the band’s involvement aligns with the historical roots of the genre they play. “Cumbia has always been attached to resistance, to la lucha,” Ayala says. “It belongs to the people.”
The show comes at the close of an active year for the band. After independently releasing singles every one to two weeks — often paired with music videos — the group has built momentum locally and nationally. They are scheduled to perform at SXSW in March as part of an official showcase. We recently featured their single “Maladra” in our New Songs by Miami Artists to Listen to This Month column.
While the band’s release strategy reflects the realities of today’s digital music topics, Ayala says the upcoming performance is focused on community engagement.
Born in Peru and based in Miami for more than three decades, Ayala sees the city’s evolving cultural identity reflected in the current resurgence of cumbia and other Latin American genres. He notes that a new generation of Miami-raised Latinos is increasingly embracing both their heritage and their local identity.
“There’s a difference between the music industry that lives in Miami and the Miami that’s actually lived in,” Ayala says. “Now we’re starting to see second-generation kids who are proud to say, ‘I’m from Miami.’”
That intersection of influences — Colombian, Argentine, Peruvian, Caribbean, and distinctly Miami — shapes Sonora Tukukuy’s sound. Ayala describes it as an effort to honor cumbia’s origins while reflecting the cultural mix unique to South Florida.
The beneficiary organization, the Right to Freedom Network, was founded by domestic workers, including Karla De Anda, Virginia Anichiarico, and Andrea Yara, alongside youth advocate Chaz Kaplan. The group works to combat labor trafficking and advocate for domestic worker protections through education, outreach, and legal referrals.
“I was a nanny, and I still work part-time as a nanny,” De Anda says. “All of the founders are domestic workers. Some of the founding members are survivors of human trafficking.”
According to De Anda, the current immigration climate has increased vulnerability within the community. “Right now, because of the immigration situation, we’re seeing many trafficking cases,” she says. “Not everyone has decided to file a report, and many people remain in trafficking situations out of fear or necessity. We’re also seeing a lot of wage theft.”
The organization hosts legal clinics and monthly workshops focused on immigration and workers’ rights. “We’ll bring an attorney into someone’s home, and there the lawyer meets with individuals who need legal guidance,” De Anda tells New Times via video call. While the group does not directly provide legal representation, it can cover the cost of attorney consultations. “If someone is arrested, whether it’s a domestic worker, her child, or her spouse, we can provide access to legal guidance,” she says.
Saturday’s lineup reflects the broader cumbia and tropical music community connected to the local scene. El Dusty will make a rare Miami appearance, joined by producer Delusion Bay. Miami-based DJs Bonita Applebumz and Squidkidnedd are also on the bill, with Los Monte Fuji opening the night.
For Sonora Tukukuy, the event represents an opportunity to connect music with community resources. As Ayala notes, artists have a responsibility to reflect their surroundings and respond to the moment.
The February 28 event aims to provide both a performance space and a platform for awareness, bringing together Miami’s cumbia community in support of immigrant and domestic worker rights.
Sonora Tukukuy with El Dusty, Delusion Bay, Los Monte Fuji and others. At Las Rosas. 2898 NW Seventh Ave., Miami; instagram.com/lasrosasmiami. Saturday, February 28. Suggested $10 donation at the door.
