Three Cuban nationals, including an individual the State Department identifies as having worked for a Cuban government influence entity in the United States for more than ten years, were taken into federal custody this week. Their apprehension occurred after Secretary of State Marco Rubio initiated the termination of their legal standing in the U.S.
On Wednesday, the State Department confirmed that Carlos Antonio Lloga Dominguez, along with his wife and son, are currently under federal detention, awaiting their potential removal from the United States.
Accusations Against Lloga Dominguez and ICAP
Lloga Dominguez is alleged to have served for over a decade as a "foreign subversive" for the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the People (ICAP). The State Department characterizes ICAP as the communist Cuban regime’s "premier influence and intelligence front group in the United States." He is further accused of maintaining connections to this transnational communist subversion network throughout his residency in the U.S.
ICAP faced sanctions earlier this month. The organization has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting its identity as a civil society group.
However, the State Department maintains that ICAP "maintains an outsized footprint across the United States, trafficking in vile anti-American propaganda, cultivating pro-Havana regime activists and politicians, and lobbying federal, state and local politicians on behalf of the Cuban dictatorship."
Founded by Fidel Castro in 1960 with the goal of disseminating Marxism globally, ICAP has been accused of collaborating with various far-left organizations within America to "export Cuba’s Communist revolution to the United States." The State Department describes ICAP as the "central node in a sprawling Cuban intelligence and influence operation, claiming to span more than 2,000 organizations across more than 150 countries."
Sanctions and Broader Investigations
The sanctions against ICAP, implemented by Secretary Rubio, resulted in the freezing of all its assets located in the U.S. and generally prohibited Americans from conducting business with the organization.
"America will never become home for foreign communists who peddle propaganda, run subversive influence operations, or support radical anti-American movements within the United States," Secretary Rubio stated in a social media announcement. "Transact with ICAP and you will be sanctioned, prosecuted or deported from our country."
Several nonprofit groups, many reportedly financed by businessman and far-left activist Neville Roy Singham, have been implicated in this alleged network. These organizations include the People's Forum, Breakthrough News, Tricontinental, CodePink, the ANSWER Coalition, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Treasury Department are currently investigating this purported influence campaign.
CodePink, co-founded by Jodie Evans, who is married to Singham, organized a convoy to Cuba earlier this year to deliver aid. This trip occurred after President Donald Trump had imposed an oil blockade on Cuba. The convoy's activities have since drawn federal scrutiny, with CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin confirming she received inquiries from federal officials investigating potential violations of American sanctions against Cuba.
