Federal authorities arrest Miami man who allegedly cracked down on protesters in Cuba

Federal authorities have arrested a South Florida man they say is a former Cuban official who assaulted protesters during mass anti-government demonstrations on the island.

Homeland Security Investigations, a law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security, said on Monday that it had arrested 57-year-old Daniel Morejón García at his Miami home.

Morejón García did not disclose he had been a member of the island’s communist party who had worked in the Ministry of Interior when he applied to enter the United States, according to the agency. HSI, which worked in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the FBI on the case, said it based its investigation on government documents and other sources.

Under federal immigration law, the U.S. government can revoke someone’s permanent residency, visa or citizenship if they lied on their application for immigration benefits. Additionally, being a member of a Communist party or committing human rights violations can disqualify someone from being allowed to come to the United States.

Represores Cubanos, a watchdog group that tracks people accused of human rights violations in Cuba, lists Morejón García as a “violent repressor” who was living in his daughter’s house in Miami. The organization says Morejón García cracked down on protesters during the July 11 protests in 2021. During the protests, thousands of people poured out into the streets demanding democracy and change for the island.

Morejón García belonged to the “Rapid Response Brigades,” a civilian group that helps the Cuban government stifle social unrest, HSI said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detainee locator show Morejón García he is in the agency’s custody at the Krome detention center in southnwest Miami-Dade County. He is in the process of being deported.

In mid-March, federal authorities arrested a former Cuban intelligence officer, Tomas Emilio Hernandez Cruz, 71, in South Florida, for lying on his green card application by not disclosing he was a member of the island’s communist party.

U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a Cuban-American Republican from Miami, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month requesting that her agency to deport dozens of former Cuban government officials and Cuba Communist Party members who were living in the United States. Among them is Morejón García. The names were compiled through the Represores Cubanos database and other groups.

“It is unacceptable that the United States would provide sanctuary to individuals who have actively worked to oppress and persecute the Cuban people,” Gimenez wrote.

This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 6:46 PM.