U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained the sister of the woman who heads Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), Cuba's powerful military-run conglomerate, in Miami, as Washington continues to ramp up pressure against Havana.
Adys Lastres Morera, a Cuban national who entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 2023, is now in the custody of ICE pending removal proceedings. She is the sister of Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, the executive president of GAESA, the conglomerate controlled by Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces.
The State Department said Lastres Morera was arrested after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked her green card, determining that her presence in the United States could have "serious adverse foreign policy consequences."
ICE said the woman was removable under the Immigration and Nationality Act and would remain in custody during deportation proceedings. "Allowing Lastres Morera to remain in the country would send a signal that Cuban regime-affiliated networks could continue to access the U.S.'s financial, educational, and social institutions, but that is not the case," John Condon, a senior Homeland Security Investigations official, said in ICE's statement.
Rubio accused Lastres Morera of "managing real estate assets" in Florida while also helping the Havana regime. In a statement Rubio said relatives of "repressive anti-American regimes" would not be allowed to "live lavishly" in the United States if officials determine they pose a national security threat.
Reuters reported that GAESA, created in the 1990s and controlled by the Cuban military, has interests in hotels, ports, banks, retail stores, remittances, and other strategic sectors. Estimates place GAESA's influence at between 40% and 70% of Cuba's economy, although Cuban officials dispute U.S. descriptions of the conglomerate's assets and role. The Trump administration has increasingly framed GAESA as the financial backbone of Cuba's ruling elite.
Earlier this month, the State Department announced sanctions targeting Cuba's military leadership and elites, including figures connected to GAESA. Rubio has accused the group of monopolizing profitable sectors while ordinary Cubans face blackouts, food shortages, fuel scarcity, and a deepening economic crisis.
The Miami Herald reported that a 2025 investigation found an estimated $18 billion in GAESA accounts as Cuba's economy deteriorated. The newspaper also reported that public records showed Lastres Morera was linked to Florida companies, including Sta Elena Investments LLC and Remas Investments LLC. Cuba has long argued that secrecy surrounding GAESA is necessary due to U.S. sanctions and the broader trade embargo.
On May 20, Rubio used a Spanish-language message for Cuba's Independence Day to accuse GAESA and Cuba's leadership of plundering national resources while offering Cubans a "new relationship" conditioned on change.
