U.S. immigration authorities arrested Alina Rosales
Aguirreurreta, daughter of the historic Cuban military officer Ulises Rosales
del Toro, who for decades held key positions within the structure of the
communist regime in Cuba.
The arrest was carried out by agents of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Miami, Florida, where the woman resided after
entering the country in 2023 on a tourist visa. The case has generated strong
reactions among sectors of the Cuban exile community, which for years has
denounced the presence in the United States of relatives of high-ranking
officials linked to the political and military apparatus of Havana.
Ulises Rosales del Toro was one of the most influential men
within the Cuban regime. Throughout his political and military career, he held
strategic positions, including Vice President of the Council of Ministers and
responsibilities related to key sectors of food production and supply on the
island. Critics of the Cuban government point to him as part of the elite that
accumulated privileges while much of the population faced decades of scarcity,
economic crisis, and social deterioration.
The arrest of his daughter comes amid a tightening of
immigration and surveillance measures by U.S. authorities against individuals
directly or indirectly linked to foreign power structures considered repressive
or corrupt. Various anti-Castro activists maintain that many children and
relatives of Cuban leaders have enjoyed comforts and opportunities in the United
States for years, while the Cuban population continues to suffer economic and
political restrictions.
The arrest of Alina Rosales Aguirreurreta would also be the
second high-profile case involving relatives of figures in the Cuban regime in
just a few days, fueling speculation about possible new investigations and
federal operations in South Florida. Sectors of the Cuban exile community in
Miami celebrated the news and demanded that U.S. authorities deepen
investigations into alleged immigration benefits obtained by relatives of
high-ranking Cuban officials.