Cuban general's daughter arrested by ICE entered U.S. on tourist visa
May 27 (UPI) -- Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Alina Rosales Aguirreurreta, daughter of historic Cuban general Ulises Rosales del Toro, in South Florida after she entered the country in 2023 on a tourist visa and later sought to regularize her immigration status, according to reports from Cuban local media.
Martí Noticias reported that Rosales Aguirreurreta, a physician in Cuba, entered the United States in 2023 with a B1/B2 visa issued at the U.S. Embassy in Havana and had been living in South Florida while awaiting resolution of her immigration situation.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, confirmed Tuesday that Rosales Aguirreurreta was in custody, although the agency did not publicly disclose the specific reason for the detention or the facility where she is being held.
The arrest comes days after the detention of Adys Lastres Morera, sister of Brig. Gen. Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, current president of the Cuban military conglomerate GAESA, an entity sanctioned by the United States.
Local media outlets and independent journalists reported that Lastres Morera was later transferred to Louisiana, although ICE did not officially confirm the transfer.
"According to reports, her relocation may not have been random, as she was transferred to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, an immigration detention facility known for the strictness of its judges," Cuban journalist Mario Pentón reported on X, based on the original reporting by journalist Daniel Benítez.
The two detentions represent the first known cases in less than a week involving relatives of senior officials linked to the Cuban regime who were living in the United States.
Following the arrest of Lastres Morera, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "There will be no place on Earth, much less in our country, where foreign citizens who threaten our national security can live in luxury."
Ulises Rosales del Toro was one of the most influential historic figures within Cuba's military and political apparatus. Over several decades, he held key positions, including chief of the General Staff of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, sugar minister, agriculture minister and vice president of the Council of Ministers.
Considered part of the so-called "old guard" of Castroism, he maintained close ties with Fidel Castro and Raúl Castro and was a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba.
Luis Domínguez, a member of the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, told Univision 23 Miami that the detentions send a message to people linked to the Cuban regime who are currently living in the United States.
"It is a message to these individuals who have come here, telling them to declare what they know, go to the authorities, inform the authorities who they are," he said.
Domínguez also questioned the immigration screening mechanisms applied in recent years.
"The screening did not exist. Everyone was asked questions, they just signed, and they entered here," he said.
Immigration attorney José Guerrero told Univision 23 Miami that one possible legal scenario in these types of cases involves alleged inconsistencies in immigration processes.
"If this person lied to obtain her visa, or in any immigration process within the United States, this person can be detained and placed into deportation proceedings," he explained.
So far, ICE has not disclosed when Rosales Aguirreurreta's immigration hearing will take place or officially confirmed where she remains in custody.
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