The Justice Department is fighting to yank citizenship from a convicted Cuban spy who briefly served as a US ambassador to Bolivia in the early 2000s, while quietly feeding secrets to Havana.
Federal prosecutors filed a civil denaturalization complaint Thursday against Manuel Rocha, arguing that his history of aiding the Cuban government against the US for decades is grounds to void his citizenship.
“Victor Manuel Rocha was not a low-level operative. He was a former United States Ambassador and senior government official who admitted he secretly served the Cuban regime for decades,” US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement.
“This civil denaturalization case is about finishing the job,” Quiñones added. “A person who secretly serves communist Cuba should not keep the privilege of United States citizenship, even while in prison.”
Rocha, 75, who the DOJ has dubbed one of the “most prolific Cuban spies” ever found in the US, was arrested in 2023 and sentenced to 15 years behind bars. He pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
The former ambassador, who also briefly served as chargé d’affaires — top diplomat during the absence of an ambassador — to Argentina under the Clinton administration, allegedly helped the Cuban government for four decades.
Havana instructed Rocha to “lead a normal life” and act like a “right-wing person,” according to his indictment. At one point, he called the US the “enemy” to an undercover agent.
Rocha’s alleged spy activities on behalf of Cuba began in 1973, five years before he became a US citizen in 1978.
“Rocha was not qualified for naturalization for several reasons, including that he committed unlawful acts, gave false testimony during his naturalization examination, was not attached to the principles of the U.S. Constitution and not well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the U.S.,” the DOJ said in a press release.
Denaturalization is a rare and complex process in the US.
Still, denaturalization cases have picked up under President Trump. During the first Trump administration, there was an average of 42 such cases a year, according to a study by Hofstra University law professor Irina Manta.
For context, the Biden administration averaged 16 a year between 1990 and 2017; the DOJ had filed about 11 per year on average.
“Under no circumstances should an agent of a foreign adversary be permitted to hold the title of American citizen,” Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate argued. “Our mission is clear: to root out these fraudsters and preserve the sanctity of the naturalization process for those who adhere to our laws.”
“Any individual who lied during the naturalization process to gain a foothold in this country will be met with the full weight of the Department of Justice.”
