U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained Rogelio Enrique Bolufé Izquierdo, a former bodyguard of the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, after a traffic stop in Hialeah, Florida revealed he was allegedly in the country illegally and in possession of a substance resembling cocaine. The arrest has raised questions about Bolufé’s ties to the Cuban regime and his potential role in exile circles in Miami.
ICE arrested Bolufé Izquierdo on August 17 and transferred him to a detention center in Texas. He now faces possible deportation to either Mexico or Ecuador, where he holds legal residency and dual citizenship. Despite his background in Cuba’s powerful Interior Ministry, U.S. authorities are not considering deportation to Cuba at this time.
According to Martí Noticias, Bolufé Izquierdo joined the communist regime at age 19 and rose through its ranks. His past includes service as mayor within the Interior Ministry and close ties to Fidel Castro’s grandson, Sandro Castro. He was reportedly present at Fidel Castro’s funeral and frequently appeared at high-society events with Sandro.
The arrest adds to controversy surrounding Bolufé’s intentions in the U.S. In 2020, after arriving from Mexico on a tourist visa, he declared himself a “dissident” on Peruvian television—while also stating that he “never deserted” from the regime and sought to “liberate Cuba.” That statement drew scrutiny, with independent Cuban outlet 14 y Medio suggesting he could be a regime spy or double agent.
Further complicating matters, Cuba has labeled Bolufé a “terrorist,” accusing him of conspiring with an exile group to sabotage the island’s already failing power infrastructure. He is listed on the Cuban regime’s National Terrorist List, which identifies him as a member of “The New Cuban Nation,” a group allegedly aiming to disrupt state infrastructure.
Bolufé’s son, Carlos Rogelio Bolufé García, remains active in Havana’s elite social circles and is a close friend of Sandro Castro. He organized a widely criticized luxury birthday event for Castro’s grandson amid Cuba’s economic collapse, drawing attention to the family’s enduring connections to regime privilege.
It remains unclear how Bolufé entered the U.S. under a tourist visa and remained in the country for more than four years. ICE has not confirmed whether any formal criminal charges will accompany the deportation proceedings.
