The United States has arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of the executive president of GAESA, a sprawling conglomerate of military-run businesses, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says.
Morera, who entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 2023, is now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending removal proceedings, according to a statement from ICE.
Morera's presence poses a threat to the United States and undermines American foreign policy interests, the statement said.
In a social media post, Rubio said he revoked Morera's green card because she "was managing real estate assets and living in Florida, while also aiding Havana's communist regime."
Adys Lastres Morera is the sister of the Executive President of GAESA, the Cuban military-controlled financial conglomerate that steals millions in aid for the Cuban people at the behest of the regime.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 21, 2026
Morera was managing real estate assets and living in Florida, while also…
Cuba's leadership rarely talks publicly about GAESA, which stands for Grupo de Administración Empresarial - or 'business administration group.'
It has long held that such discretion is necessary to confront a US trade and financial blockade that severely complicates the island's business with the outside world.
Reuters was not immediately able to reach out to representatives of Morera for comment.
Earlier, Rubio told reporters that diplomacy "remains our preference with Cuba", but added: "I'm just being honest with you, you know, the likelihood of that happening, given who we're dealing with right now, is not high."
He also accused Cuba of being "one of the leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region", which Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez vehemently denied in a post on X.
The #US Secretary of State lies again in order to instigate a military aggression that would lead to a bloodshed by Cubans and Americans.#Cuba is not, nor has it ever been, a threat to the national security of the United States. It is the US government the one that ruthlessly…
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) May 21, 2026
Meanwhile President Donald Trump said past US presidents have mulled intervening in Cuba for decades, but "it looks like I'll be the one that does it."
He'd suggested the opposite a day earlier, however, saying further escalation isn't necessary after US prosecutors announced criminal charges against former Cuban president Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles.
with AP
