MIAMI, FL - This past August, a Cuban national, who is also a citizen of Guatemala, was removed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after authorities found he had fraudulently obtained lawful permanent resident status in the United States by concealing his ties to the Cuban regime as an intelligence asset.
On July 10, 61-year-old Fernando Armando Valdes Perez was arrested at Miami International Airport following an immigration enforcement action executed by ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with assistance from agents with the FBI Miami Field Office.
According to authorities, Valdes had worked as an intelligence asset since the mid-1990s, reportedly tasked with “infiltrating and reporting on Cuban exile and dissident communities in Latin America and the United States.” Among Valdes’ targets as an intelligence asset was reportedly anti-Castro dissident Luis Posada Carriles, a U.S. military veteran and former CIA operative who worked fervently to overthrow the Castro regime in Cuba.
Valdes had reportedly “knowingly and willfully concealed his true position and affiliation with the Cuban regime” when applying for his status as a permanent resident of the United States, a detail that ultimately led to his status in the country being revoked. Following removal proceedings, Valdes was removed from the United States on August 7.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Miami Field Office Director Matthew Elliston issued a statement following Valdes’ removal, saying, “Individuals who conceal ties to foreign intelligence services and exploit our immigration system pose a serious threat to the integrity of that system and to our national security. ICE will continue working with our federal partners to identify, arrest and remove those who obtain immigration benefits through fraud.”
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