The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced this Wednesday the arrest of Carlos Antonio Lloga Domínguez, a former official of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), along with his family in U.S. territory.
It is an action that reinforces Washington's policy of pressure against the influence structures of the Cuban regime.
The former official, his wife, and their son remain in federal custody, awaiting deportation.
The measure was announced through a strong message posted by Rubio on the social network X, as well as via an official statement from the State Department, which detailed the revocation of Carlos Antonio Lloga Domínguez's legal status and his subsequent arrest by federal agents.
In his publication, Rubio was emphatic in describing the role of ICAP.
"For decades, the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) has served as a vehicle for radical left extremism and subversive foreign influence in the United States and across the hemisphere," described Rubio.
The Secretary of State then emphasized that this organization operates as a key component within the Cuban regime's intelligence apparatus and noted that the detained former ICAP official "has ties to the organization."
He added, moreover, that ICAP is not limited to propaganda, but "leverages its vast global network to spy on Americans, promote anti-Western propaganda, coordinate foreign influence operations, and organize leftist revolutionary movements around the world."
The case of Lloga Domínguez fits within this strategy.
Direct warning: Sanctions, processes, and deportations
Rubio's message did not merely announce the arrest. It also included a clear and direct warning to both individuals and organizations that maintain ties with ICAP:
"The United States will never be a refuge for foreign communists who spread propaganda, conduct subversive influence operations, or support anti-American radical movements within the country."
Furthermore, he issued a strong warning: "If you conduct transactions with ICAP, you will be sanctioned, prosecuted, or deported from our country."
This statement reinforces the extraterritorial scope of the measures adopted by the U.S. administration.
The official statement also emphasizes that, under Executive Order 14404 signed by President Donald Trump, all properties and financial interests of ICAP are blocked, and any transaction with this entity is prohibited without express authorization from the Department of the Treasury or the Department of State.
It also warns that any foreigner linked to subversive activities associated with the ICAP could face deportation proceedings in the short term.
The statement from the Department of State provides more details about the profile of the detainee.
According to the official document, Lloga Domínguez worked for more than a decade as a "foreign subversive" linked to the main influence group of the Cuban regime in the United States, maintaining active connections with transnational networks.
A global network under Washington's scrutiny
The State Department describes ICAP as the core of an extensive international influence network that reaches over 2,000 organizations in more than 150 countries.
According to Washington, this framework is closely linked to Cuban intelligence services and operates as a platform for the ideological projection of the regime.
One of the elements that reinforce this accusation is the figure of its current president, Fernando González Llort, identified in the statement as a "convicted Cuban spy" who served 15 years in prison in the United States for his involvement in the Wasp Network, a spying operation dismantled in Florida in the 1990s.
U.S. authorities maintain that ICAP has maintained a significant presence in American territory, where it has promoted anti-U.S. propaganda, cultivated relationships with activists and political figures aligned with the regime, and exerted political pressure at various levels.
In the words of the statement, the organization has facilitated "close working relationships between Havana and radical U.S. groups", using spaces from the more radical left as a vehicle to expand the ideology of the Cuban regime.
Context: Escalation of sanctions against the Cuban regime
This arrest occurs in a context of increasing pressure from Washington against the Cuban regime.
In recent weeks, the U.S. government has intensified sanctions against key entities such as the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and ICAP itself, which are considered historical pillars of the island's political system.
These actions are part of a broader strategy aimed at weakening the regime's internal control structures and international projection.
Since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed more than 240 sanctions targeting officials, companies, and organizations connected to the power structure in Cuba.
Rubio has defended these measures by arguing that they are aimed directly at "the extensive and violent network of radical action of the Cuban regime," which he accuses of operating beyond the island's borders to influence international politics.
In this context, the arrest of Lloga Domínguez marks a new step in U.S. policy, which seeks not only to sanction institutions but also to act directly against individuals deemed part of the regime's networks of influence.
The case sends a clear message: Washington is willing to further toughen its stance against any activities it deems linked to the political and ideological projection of Havana in U.S. territory.
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