Ernesto Carvajal Lastres, the son of Adys Lastres Morera—sister to the executive president of GAESA who was apprehended this Thursday in Miami—expressed shock regarding his mother's detention and questioned the legal grounds of the action taken by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
An American citizen who had sponsored his mother's entry into the country in January 2023, Carvajal Lastres spoke with journalist Alexis Boentes from Telemundo 51, revealing he has been unable to contact her since her arrest.
"I haven't even been able to speak with my mom. She is completely out of reach. I don’t know if she's alright because they've isolated her," he lamented.
Having lived in the United States for 12 years, Carvajal Lastres expressed his bewilderment over the decision made by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"We've been here for many years doing everything correctly, from immigration petitions to residency, just like many other Cubans. I've been here for 12 years working and paying taxes," he noted.
His strongest words criticized the decision to revoke his mother's permanent residency without judicial intervention. "I thought I had come to a country where institutions are respected, but apparently not," he stated.
He also expressed his confusion about the legal mechanism used. "I don't understand how Marco Rubio can have the power to revoke a residency without a court process," he declared.
The young man is actively seeking international legal counsel to "understand exactly which law we violated."
Adys Lastres Morera was detained on Thursday by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations agents in Miami.
The arrest followed a determination by the State Department that her presence in the U.S. violated the Immigration and Nationality Act under Section 237(a)(4)(C), which allows for the deportation of permanent residents whose stay poses "serious adverse consequences for the United States' foreign policy."
The U.S. government considers her "deportable for representing a threat to American foreign policy interests." No criminal charges have been brought against her.
Adys is the elder sister of Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, a brigadier general in the Revolutionary Armed Forces and executive president of GAESA, a Cuban military-corporate conglomerate controlling 40% to 70% of the island's economy and managing illicit assets estimated at $20 billion by U.S. authorities.
Since arriving in the U.S. on January 13, 2023, Adys has been listed as a manager or registered agent for at least two real estate companies in Florida: REMAS Investments LLC and Santa Elena Investments LLC, based in Boca Raton. Prior to emigrating, she managed Airbnb vacation rentals in Havana.
The arrest is part of a coordinated effort by the Trump administration against the Cuban regime. On May 7, Rubio directly sanctioned GAESA and Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera.
The U.S. set a June 5 deadline for foreign companies to sever ties with GAESA under threat of secondary sanctions.
Rubio confirmed the arrest emphatically: "There will be no place on this Earth—and certainly not in our country—where foreigners who threaten our national security can live luxuriously."
Questions About Adys Lastres Morera's Detention
Why was Adys Lastres Morera arrested in the U.S.?
Adys Lastres Morera was arrested because the U.S. State Department determined her presence violated the Immigration and Nationality Act, specifically Section 237(a)(4)(C), which pertains to foreign individuals posing serious threats to U.S. foreign policy.
What is GAESA and why is it significant in this context?
GAESA is a Cuban military-enterprise conglomerate that controls a large portion of the island's economy. Its significance in this context lies in its ties to the Cuban regime, which the U.S. government deems a threat to national security. Adys's sister, Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, leads GAESA.
Has Adys Lastres Morera been charged with any crimes?
No criminal charges have been filed against Adys Lastres Morera. The arrest is based on her perceived threat to U.S. foreign policy rather than any specific criminal activity.