MIAMI.- The United States government announced this Wednesday the arrest of the Cuban citizen Carlos Antonio Lloga Dominguezwhom he accuses of having acted for more than a decade in favor of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), an entity recently sanctioned by the administration of President Donald Trump for its alleged links with the intelligence services of the Cuban dictatorship.
According to official sources, Lloga was arrested along with his wife and son after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked his legal status. The three remain in federal custody while proceedings for their removal from the country continue.
Rubio referred to the case in a message published after the arrest and stated: “This week we revoked the legal status of Carlos Antonio Lloga Domínguez, a former ICAP official who maintains ties to that organization.”
“foreign subversive”
For his part, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott noted that the detainee acted as a “foreign subversive” for the institute, which he described as one of the main mechanisms of political and intelligence influence of the Cuban regime in US territory.
The authorities also maintain that the institution maintains a close relationship with the island’s intelligence services. In addition, they recalled that its president, Fernando González Llort, was convicted in the United States for being part of the so-called Wasp Network, a spy network that operated in South Florida during the 1990s.
Created in December 1960 by Fidel Castro, ICAP has promoted international solidarity programs and relations with organizations from different countries for decades. The Cuban government defines it as an independent institution dedicated to promoting diplomacy between peoples and strengthening friendship associations with Cuba.
For the White House, however, the organization is part of the regime’s influence structure. As a result of the sanctions announced on June 4, all of his assets and interests subject to US jurisdiction were blocked and he is prohibited from accessing the financial system or carrying out commercial transactions in the country.
Rubio added that the United States “will never be a home for foreign communists who spread propaganda, conduct subversive influence operations, or support radical anti-American movements”by reiterating the Trump administration’s policy towards organizations linked to the Cuban government.
The arrest occurs amid the tightening of Washington’s policy towards Havana, reflected in the recent sanctions against officials and entities that, according to the US administration, support Castroism’s influence operations.
