U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the sister of a leader of a Cuban military-controlled conglomerate has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Adys Lastres Morera is the sister of Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, who is the executive president of Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA).
Rubio said on X that he terminated Adys Morera’s permanent resident status. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
The secretary of state said GAESA is “the Cuban military-controlled financial conglomerate that steals millions in aid for the Cuban people at the behest of the regime.”
GAESA controls up to $20 billion in illicit assets, according to the United States, and was described in an ICE press release as “a corrupt organization that has a stranglehold on 70 percent of Cuba’s economy.”
“There will be nowhere on this Earth—much less in our country—where foreign nationals who threaten our national security can live lavishly,” Rubio said on X.
The State Department added in a statement: “For far too long, the family members of terrorist organizations, repressive anti-American regimes and other bad actors who would threaten the national security of the United States have been given a free pass to enjoy the privileges of living in the United States.”
According to the U.S. Treasury, GAESA is a Cuban military-controlled umbrella enterprise with interests in tourism, financial investment, and the global financial networks, banks, and money transfer operators of Cuba.
According to a legal analysis published on May 18 by the Debevoise & Plimpton law firm, the Trump administration has significantly expanded U.S. sanctions against Cuba through Executive Order 14404 issued May 1.
The law firm said the order allows the U.S. government to target foreign individuals, companies, and financial institutions that support the Cuban government or entities tied to it, including GAESA. Debevoise & Plimpton said the administration designated GAESA and warned additional sanctions could follow, reflecting what the firm described as a coordinated effort to intensify economic pressure on Cuba.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) said Adys Lastres Morera’s presence “poses a threat to the United States and undermines American foreign policy interests.”
Allowing Lastres Morera to remain in the country would send a signal that Cuban regime-affiliated networks could continue to access the United States’ financial, educational and social institutions—but that is not the case,” HSI acting Executive Associate Director John Condon said in a press release. “HSI will continue to investigate those with ties to our nation’s adversaries and take appropriate actions to neutralize threats against our homeland.”
An attorney representing Adys Lastres Morera could not be found.
