The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Sunday via its official X account the deportation of Fernando Armando Valdés Pérez. Valdés Pérez, originally from Cuba and now a Guatemalan citizen aged 61, was identified as an intelligence operative for the Cuban regime residing in Kendall, Florida.
According to ICE's official statement, Valdés Pérez "successfully infiltrated and reported on Cuban exile communities and dissident groups across Latin America and the United States since at least the mid-1990s."
The agency concluded that Valdés Pérez had deliberately concealed his ties to the Cuban regime while fraudulently obtaining legal immigration status in the United States.
"Valdés gained the trust and proximity of the late anti-communist dissident Luis Posada Carriles and maintained close relationships with other well-known Cuban and Cuban-American figures in South Florida up until his arrest on July 10 by ICE in Miami, alongside the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection," the statement reads.
The arrest took place at Miami International Airport during a joint operation. Weeks later, on August 7, he was deported to Guatemala. This action was primarily immigration-related—centered on immigration fraud—and did not involve espionage charges.
Significant Actions and Connections
This case is part of a series of high-profile immigration actions recently undertaken by ICE. Follow every detail in our U.S. Immigration section.
One of the most revealing aspects of the case is the level of closeness Valdés Pérez established with prominent figures in the Cuban exile community. For years, he made political donations to Republican Congress members María Elvira Salazar and Mario Díaz-Balart. Additionally, he frequently visited Posada Carriles during his detention in Panama between 2000 and 2004.
Cuban Espionage Operations in the U.S.
This case adds to the long history of Cuban intelligence operations in South Florida. The most documented precedent is the Wasp Network, dismantled by the FBI in 1998, which had infiltrated anti-Castro organizations and military installations in Miami for many years.
In July 2026, the State Department released a report on the active Cuban spy network within U.S. territory, indicating that Havana's Directorate of Intelligence maintains ongoing operations inside the country.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was more explicit last August, stating that "Cuba is the only country that has systematically planted and concealed spies within the U.S. system," citing cases like Ana Belén Montes—a Defense Intelligence Agency analyst who spied for Cuba for 16 years—and Víctor Manuel Rocha, a former ambassador and Pentagon advisor who also worked for Cuban intelligence.
The new insights into the Valdés Pérez case reveal how the Cuban regime used a dual-citizen agent to penetrate the closest circles to the exile community for decades, without raising formal suspicions until years later.
Friends of Posada Carriles, who had suspected Valdés Pérez for years, were reportedly instrumental in prompting the FBI to launch the investigation that led to his arrest and subsequent expulsion from the country.
FAQs on Cuban Espionage in the U.S.
What was the role of Fernando Armando Valdés Pérez in Cuban intelligence?
Fernando Armando Valdés Pérez was identified as an operative for Cuban intelligence, tasked with infiltrating and reporting on Cuban exile communities and dissident groups in the U.S. and Latin America.
How was Valdés Pérez able to obtain legal status in the U.S.?
Valdés Pérez fraudulently obtained legal immigration status in the United States by concealing his affiliations with the Cuban regime.
What led to the arrest and deportation of Valdés Pérez?
ICE, along with the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, arrested Valdés Pérez due to immigration fraud, and he was subsequently deported to Guatemala. His espionage activities were not the basis for his deportation.