ICE removes Cuban intelligence agent who fraudulently obtained lawful permanent resident status
MIAMI / September 3, 2026 — ICE removed a Cuban national and Guatemalan citizen from the United States Aug. 7 after an investigation determined he fraudulently obtained lawful permanent resident status while concealing his affiliation with the Cuban regime.
Fernando Armando Valdes Perez, 61, of Kendall, was arrested July 10 at Miami International Airport during an administrative immigration enforcement action conducted by ICE, FBI Miami, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Investigators determined Valdes was a Cuban intelligence asset tasked with infiltrating and reporting on Cuban exile and dissident communities in Latin America and the United States as early as the mid-1990s. Valdes gained the trust and confidence of late anti-Castro dissident Luis Posada Carriles and remained in close proximity to other well-known Cuban and Cuban American figures in South Florida until his arrest. Valdes knowingly and willfully concealed his true position and affiliation with the Cuban regime when he applied for and obtained lawful permanent resident status, deliberately deceiving U.S. immigration authorities. ICE is working every day to advance the Trump administration’s homeland security mission and protect the American people.
“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,” said ERO Miami Field Office Director Matthew Elliston. “ICE will continue working with our federal partners to identify, arrest and remove those who obtain immigration benefits through fraud.”
Following his arrest, Valdes was processed, placed in removal proceedings and removed from the United States Aug. 7.
Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)
