The arrest of Alina Rosales Aguirreurreta, identified as the daughter of Cuban General Ulises Rosales del Toro, has raised alarm among Cubans residing in the United States who have family ties to high-ranking officials in the regime. Immigration attorney Liudmila Marcelo, in an interview with Tania Costa, explained the legal grounds that allow the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to act in these cases.
The detention of Alina Rosales in Miami was confirmed by journalist Daniel Benítez and took place last Wednesday at her workplace. ICE also confirmed it to several media outlets.
According to Marcelo, the main reason why ICE can detain relatives of high-ranking officials in the regime is not the family relationship itself, but rather the concealment of information during the immigration process or maintaining an illegal presence in the country, which puts them at risk of detention like any other immigrant.
"It specifically relates to some questions you may have answered incorrectly, withholding information or telling lies, in other words, lying to an immigration officer," explained the lawyer.
Alina Rosales entered the United States in 2023 with a tourist visa B1/B2 issued in Havana. The application process for that visa involves an extensive questionnaire and a consular interview with questions about family connections to foreign government officials.
"If at any point in that questionnaire she concealed who her parent was, what kind of relationship she had with that person, or if she also hid this situation during the interview, that means the visa was granted to her inappropriately," Marcelo noted.
Having entered on a tourist visa, Alina Rosales should have subsequently adjusted her status, a process that also includes questions about connections with foreign officials or individuals who have committed certain acts. ICE has the legal authority to revoke residency if it was granted based on false documentation or incorrect statements.
The lawyer emphasized that the family connection to a high-ranking official in the regime is a fact that cannot be overlooked. "We are talking about the daughter of Ulises Rosales del Toro, who is a person that held very important positions in the country's leadership, as he was linked to the party, the central committee, and everything," said Marcelo.
Ulises Rosales del Toro is a General of the Army Corps, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba, and has held positions such as Chief of the General Staff of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Minister of Sugar, Minister of Agriculture, and Vice President of the Council of Ministers. In 2019, he was removed from the vice presidency by the government of Díaz-Canel.
Marcelo clarified that this does not mean that all the children of officials should panic, but they must be completely transparent. "Many times, children disconnect from their parents. The thing is, you cannot hide information, and you have to be transparent with immigration officials," he warned.
The adviser to Congressman Carlos Giménez confirmed that there are more arrests of individuals linked to the Cuban regime in the United States that have not yet been made public, suggesting that the case of Alina Rosales is not an isolated one.
The lawyer concluded with a straightforward piece of advice for those in similar situations: "It's always better to be told no because you told the truth than to be told yes because you hid the truth, which later comes to light, because then you will have no resources left."
Filed under: