Former American diplomat Victor Manuel Rocha was expelled from the United States for 40 years of spying on Cuba.
As Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on individuals who fraudulently obtain U.S. citizenship, it has released a list of 12 such individuals, but one name stands out. He is Victor Manuel Rocha, the former U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia. He was arrested in 2023 and admitted to serving as a Cuban agent for 40 years.Rocha was born in Colombia, grew up in New York, graduated from Yale University, studied for a master’s degree at Harvard University, and became a U.S. citizen in 1978. Three years later, in 1981, Rocha began working for the U.S. State Department. His first positions were as political officer at the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and then as First Secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.In 2000, President Bill Clinton appointed Rocha as U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia.In its petition to deprive him of his citizenship, the Justice Department said Rocha lied during the naturalization process because he had been an attorney since 1973.“Under no circumstances should agents of foreign adversaries be allowed to hold the title of U.S. citizen,” Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said. “Our mission is clear: root out these fraudsters and preserve the sanctity of the naturalization process for those who abide by our laws. Anyone who lies during the naturalization process to get a foothold in this country will be met with the full force of the Department of Justice.““Victor Manuel Rocha is not a low-level agent. He is a former U.S. ambassador and senior government official who admitted that he secretly served the Cuban regime for decades,” said Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. “The Southern District of Florida helped capture one of the most prolific Cuban spies the United States has ever solved. This civil denaturalization case is about to do the job. The indictment alleges that Rocha obtained U.S. citizenship through lies, concealment and betrayal. A man who secretly served communist Cuba should not retain the privileges of a U.S. citizen, even in prison. “
Unregistered agent in Cuba
Rocha was then an unregistered agent of the Republic of Cuba. When Rocha applied for naturalization, he stated under penalty of perjury that he had not committed a crime for which he was not arrested. He did not belong to the Communist Party of Cuba; he did not advocate, believe in, or knowingly support and promote the interests of communism; he believed in the Constitution of the United States and the form of government of the United States, but none of this was true.The U.S. Department of Justice stated that Rocha was ineligible for naturalization for a variety of reasons, including that he had engaged in illegal conduct, provided false testimony during the naturalization review, failed to abide by the principles of the U.S. Constitution, was detrimental to the good order and happiness of the United States, affiliated with the Cuban Communist Party, and advocated communism. The United States will also seek to revoke his naturalization because he obtained citizenship by concealing material facts or intentionally misrepresenting certain facts during the naturalization process related to Cuban espionage, the statement said.
