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The Executive Order 14404, signed by President Donald Trump on May 1 and published today in the Federal Register, extends sanctions against the Cuban regime to the adult relatives of anyone designated under the rule, an unprecedented provision that tightens the grip on the island's military elite.
The order, which is based on the national emergency declared by the Executive Order 14380 of January 29, classifies the regime's policies as an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.
The presidential text itself states unequivocally: "The policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba are not only designed to harm the United States, but are also repugnant to the moral and political values of free and democratic societies."
The family clause becomes immediately relevant with a documented case: Adys Lastres Morera, sister of the executive president of GAESA, Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, arrived in Florida in January 2023 and is listed as the manager of two real estate companies in that state: REMAS Investments LLC and Santa Elena Investments LLC.
This case illustrates exactly the pattern that Washington seeks to close: relatives of the Cuban military elite who manage assets in U.S. territory.
On the same day of the publication, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the first designations under the new order: GAESA, its Executive President Ania Lastres Morera, and the mining company Moa Nickel S.A., a joint venture between the Cuban military conglomerate and the Canadian Sherritt International.
Rubio described GAESA as "the core of Cuba's kleptocratic communist system" and pointed out that it controls approximately 40% or more of the island's economy, with revenues that "likely triple the state's budget" and illicit assets abroad that could reach 20 billion dollars.
The sanction on Moa Nickel has already forced the suspension of mining operations and affects up to 15% of Cuba's electricity generation capacity, worsening a crisis of blackouts lasting up to 25 hours daily in a country facing a projected GDP decline of 7.2% in 2026.
The order also blocks all assets and interests in properties in the United States of individuals linked to key sectors of the Cuban economy—energy, defense, metals and mining, financial services, and security—and suspends their entry into the country.
Additionally, it authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to sanction foreign financial institutions that facilitate transactions with those designated, including the prohibition of correspondent accounts in the United States.
The regulation states that designations will not require prior notification to those affected, as the text indicates that "the ability to transfer funds or assets instantly would render the measures ineffective" if there were advance notice.
Rubio warned that "new sanctions are expected in the coming days and weeks", as part of a maximum pressure strategy that already includes the interception of at least seven tankers bound for Cuba and the prohibition of Russian oil supply to the island.
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