Federal immigration agents moved in on a quiet Miami street Thursday and took a woman into custody after the U.S. government yanked her lawful permanent resident status, authorities said.
The woman, Adys Lastres Morera, is not just any South Florida resident. She is the sister of Brig. Gen. Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, the powerful head of GAESA, the Cuban military conglomerate that controls a huge slice of the island’s economy. Her arrest lands right in the middle of a U.S. pressure campaign to choke off revenue to GAESA and other entities tied to the Havana regime.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a news release that Lastres Morera was in custody after the State Department revoked her green card on the grounds that she posed a national security threat, as Miami Herald reported. Officials also circulated a photo of an agent detaining her in Miami.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been the public face of recent U.S. moves against GAESA, quickly weighed in on social media, warning that "there will be nowhere on this Earth - much less in our country - where foreign nationals who threaten our national security can live lavishly," according to El País. Rubio also said Lastres Morera had "administered real-estate assets" that helped benefit the Cuban government, the outlet reported.
Lastres Morera has been living in Florida since early 2023. State corporate filings reviewed by Martí Noticias list her as a manager or registered agent for at least one Florida real-estate company, REMAS Investments LLC. Those same records and prior reporting link her to short‑term rental properties in Havana, highlighting cross-border family business ties now squarely on Washington’s radar.
GAESA Under The Microscope
U.S. officials have been steadily tightening the screws on GAESA, the military-controlled conglomerate overseen by Lastres Morera’s sister, through sanctions and blacklists aimed at its sprawling business network. A Miami Herald investigation estimated that GAESA holds about $18 billion in liquid assets, a figure U.S. policymakers have pointed to when justifying tougher measures. Axios reported on the broader crackdown.
What Comes Next For Lastres Morera
When the State Department revokes a person’s lawful permanent resident status, that individual typically becomes removable under federal immigration law and can be held by ICE while the government pursues deportation or related proceedings, according to the Congressional Research Service. The nonpartisan agency notes that removal can be sought on national security or criminal grounds and is handled either in immigration court or through administrative processes. Congressional Research Service.
The arrest is likely to ripple through Miami’s Cuban exile community and among banks and businesses already watching how far Washington is willing to go in cutting GAESA’s financial lifelines. Axios has described the administration’s Cuba measures as part of a wider strategy to sever the conglomerate from foreign revenue streams, a shift analysts say could complicate trade and banking relationships across the region.
This story is still unfolding. We have requested comment from ICE, the State Department and other federal agencies and will update this report as those responses, and any new records or statements on the case, become public.
