Rubio orders arrest of Cuban national with alleged ties to Havana regime

The United States has arrested the sister of the executive chairman of GAESA, a sprawling conglomerate of military companies in Cuba, over her alleged ties to the communist regime.

GAESA was accused of diverting millions of dollars in aid intended for the Cuban people “at the request of the regime,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a message released Thursday.

Adys Lastres Morera was taken into ICE custody after the State Department revoked her lawful permanent resident (LPR) status, according to Rubio.

Morera, who managed real estate assets while living in Florida, allegedly aided the communist government in Havana, officials said.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters in a departure lounge at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, February 25, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Piscine/Reuters)

The termination of his status was done at Rubio’s discretion. Morera entered the United States as a legal permanent resident in 2023, Reuters reported.

“Today, Adys Lastres Morera, a Cuban national with ties to the communist regime in Havana, was arrested following the State Department’s removal of her lawful permanent resident (LPR) status, at my direction,” Rubio said.

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Morera is the older sister of Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, who was sanctioned earlier this month for her role as executive president of GAESA.

GAESA has been described by officials as an exploitative communist entity that siphons off resources from the Cuban population.

The State Department announced Thursday that the department had revoked Adys Lastres Morera’s resident status. (J.David Ake/Getty Images)

“As the Cuban people suffer the collapse of a malfunctioning communist economy, GAESA is allowing a small circle of regime elites to plunder all of the island’s remaining resources, diverting up to $20 billion in illicit funds to hidden bank accounts overseas,” Rubio said.

He added that Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, as a senior executive, is responsible for managing international assets allegedly used to finance the “lavish lifestyle” of the Castro-era elite, as well as supporting efforts related to broader ideological influence abroad.

A Cuban flag is visible in front of the American embassy in Havana. (PA)

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Rubio also highlighted deteriorating conditions in Cuba, including widespread power outages and severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine, saying GAESA diverts resources from the communist system’s basic needs.

“GAESA’s ill-gotten wealth is not being spent on repairing the crumbling power grid, stocking empty pharmacies, feeding hungry families, or providing for the most basic and essential needs of the Cuban people. Instead, they are being used to enrich Havana’s elites and support their ongoing campaign of espionage, subversion and revolutionary activism against the free peoples of this hemisphere,” he said.