分类： world

Chile : ECLAC strengthens the capacities of MAST

In a key step to bolster Haiti’s social protection infrastructure, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) welcomed a 14-member delegation from Haiti’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST) at its Santiago, Chile headquarters this September. Led by MAST Director General Marie Herolle-Michel — which included Economic and Social Assistance Fund Coordinator Marie Judith Fanfan — the visit centered on a four-day regional technical exchange workshop designed to upgrade Haitian officials’ expertise in information systems, program management and social registries for social protection initiatives.

Organized by ECLAC’s Social Development Division, the workshop drew on decades of successful social protection implementation from four experienced Latin American nations: Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Paraguay. The agenda was structured to combine hands-on training, cross-border knowledge sharing, and expert insight from leading global development bodies. ECLAC specialists led core training modules, while counterparts from social development ministries and civil registry agencies across the four host countries shared on-the-ground lessons from their own national programs. Representatives from three major international institutions — the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank — also delivered presentations on global best practices for social protection frameworks and social registry management.

On September 3, the third day of the workshop, participants undertook a structured technical field visit to the Chilean municipality of Lo Espejo, arranged in close coordination with Chile’s Ministry of Social Development and Family (MIDESOF). During the visit, the Haitian delegation gained first-hand insight into the daily operation of Chile’s integrated One-Stop Shop for Social Services for Public Sector Employees, local social management systems, and national social transfer programs. Later the same day, the delegation traveled to MIDESOF’s central offices, where Head of the Social Policy Division Cristóbal Ruiz-Tagle led a focused discussion on practical experience with social registration, program design, and the use of centralized social registries during emergency response scenarios.

By the workshop’s final session, participants and facilitators had collaborated to draft concrete, actionable recommendations to address longstanding systemic challenges facing Haiti’s social protection and social registry sectors. These tailored recommendations are framed as a critical foundation to advance Haiti’s goal of building inclusive social development anchored in a universal, comprehensive, sustainable, and disaster-resilient national social protection system.

The initiative reaffirms ECLAC’s longstanding commitment to supporting MAST through targeted technical assistance and capacity-building programming. This ongoing collaboration dates back to 2019, when ECLAC partnered with the WFP Haiti office to launch a series of targeted development projects in the country. Key past achievements include technical support for the design and rollout of Haiti’s National Policy for Social Protection and Promotion (PNPPS) — the nation’s overarching strategic framework for the sector, approved in 2020 and still in force today. Earlier this year, ECLAC also presented a new analytical publication, *Analysis and Recommendations Concerning the Institutionalization of the National Policy for Social Protection and Promotion in Haiti*, at a hybrid seminar in Port-au-Prince this past June. This September, the 2026 updated edition of ECLAC’s signature course on social protection and promotion will also be made publicly available to continue expanding capacity across Haiti’s social sector.

6 9 月, 2026
Cuban and Afghan immigrants deported from US under Trump arrive in Guyana

The Trump administration’s aggressive expansion of third-country deportations has marked another milestone, with six deported migrants arriving in Guyana over the weekend as part of a newly struck bilateral agreement. The group, made up of Cuban and Afghan nationals deported over U.S. immigration violations, touched down in the South American nation on Saturday, Guyana’s Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud confirmed in comments to The Associated Press.

Persaud added that none of the six arrivals have a criminal record, and that the U.S. has not submitted additional requests for deportations to Guyana at this stage. The one-year agreement between Washington and Georgetown, finalized after months of closed-door negotiations, does not grant permanent resettlement status to deportees, according to the Guyanese official.

Third-country deportation is a policy that involves sending non-citizens detained by U.S. immigration authorities to nations that are not their country of origin. For many deportees, this means being relocated to a country they have no prior connection to, where they may not speak the local language or have any social or economic support network. The Trump administration has pushed to scale up this practice rapidly during its second term, framing the policy as a solution to the problem of origin countries that refuse to re-admit their citizens deported from the U.S.

Amnesty International, a leading global human rights nonprofit, reports that more than 30 countries worldwide have now signed similar third-country deportation agreements with the U.S. since Trump returned to office, 15 of which are located across the Americas.

Critics of the policy have raised widespread alarm over its ethical and humanitarian implications. Human rights groups denounce the practice as a deliberate punitive measure designed to coerce migrants into abandoning their asylum and immigration claims in the U.S. The expansion of third-country deportations also aligns with a broader trend in Trump’s second-term immigration agenda: data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a research institute based at Syracuse University, shows that 70.6 percent of all foreign nationals currently held in U.S. immigration detention have no criminal convictions, confirming that the administration’s deportation sweep extends far beyond the criminal targets Trump highlighted during his 2024 re-election campaign.

Additional concerns center on the conditions migrants face in third-party receiving countries. Many of the nations that have signed agreements with the U.S. grapple with systemic poverty, political instability, ongoing armed conflict, and widespread human rights violations, creating dangerous conditions for newly arrived deportees.

In the case of the six migrants sent to Guyana, the United Nations International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will provide initial support through its Assisted Voluntary Return Programme. The deportees will remain in Guyana while their immigration cases are processed, with two potential end outcomes: repatriation to their countries of origin, or resettlement in a third country.

The new Guyana agreement is just one piece of the sweeping immigration crackdown that has defined Trump’s second term in office. The administration has already revoked legal status for tens of thousands of migrants already residing in the U.S. by canceling long-standing programs including Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian parole. Recent reports also indicate that officials are preparing to revoke visas for roughly 200,000 ongoing asylum seekers, a move that would push those individuals into deportation eligibility regardless of whether dangerous conflict or instability persists in their home countries.

6 9 月, 2026
Immigration officials detain 38 Haitians at 12 Chinese chicken restaurants in the capital

In a targeted compliance operation across key commercial districts of the Dominican Republic’s capital region, immigration enforcement officials have raided 12 local food service outlets, the vast majority of which operate as popular Chinese-style fried chicken eateries. The sweep, which covered establishments along five major transportation and commercial corridors in Greater Santo Domingo, resulted in the detention of 38 Haitian nationals found to be living and working in the country with irregular immigration status.

Of the 38 people taken into custody during the operation, 34 are men and four are women. All were actively employed in the businesses at the time of the raid, working both in front-of-house sales roles and back-of-house kitchen positions, according to official details of the action. The inspection route targeted businesses across high-traffic locations: San Martín Avenue, Tiradentes Avenue, Nicolás de Ovando Avenue, Las Palmas Avenue, and the Old Road, the country’s historic primary route through the capital region.

Among the specific establishments inspected were Mechy Restaurant on San Martín Street, alongside smaller food outlets Expreso Siglo, Expreso Aurora, Expreso Wilsin, Mi Gusto, and D’ Gavy Pechurina. The raid also covered a cluster of fried chicken restaurants that are common fixtures in Dominican casual dining: Pica Pollo Expreso Kally, Pica Pollo Millón, Papa Pollo, Chino Pollo, Pica Pollo Salud, and Pica Pollo Rico Sabor.

Officials confirmed the operation was carried out to enforce compliance with the country’s General Migration Law across the capital’s commercial food sector. This enforcement action is part of a broader, routine inspection program carried out by the Dominican General Directorate of Migration. Under the authority of the country’s 285-04 Migration Law, the agency conducts regular checks of food businesses and other productive industries across all regions of the Dominican Republic to crack down on unauthorized employment and immigration violations.

5 9 月, 2026
Antigua and Barbuda Delegation Completes Agricultural Training in China

In a step forward for South-South agricultural cooperation, four professionals from the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda have wrapped up a cutting-edge training program hosted by China centered on modern water-conserving agriculture and advanced irrigation systems.

The participating delegation brought together a diverse cross-section of Antigua and Barbuda’s agricultural and academic sectors: two young farmers, Jerres George and Clementina Morgan, who are active members of the Antigua and Barbuda Agricultural Forum for Youth (ABAFY); independent local farmer Claire Thomas; and Alsiah Benjamen, a secondary school science educator. Their varied backgrounds reflect the country’s holistic approach to upgrading agricultural capacity, bringing together on-the-ground producers and education professionals to spread new knowledge across the sector.

The 14-day training initiative, officially named the Seminar on Water-Saving Irrigation in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions for Developing Countries, ran from August 19 to September 1, 2026, and was organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Mechanization Sciences Group Co., Ltd. (CAAMS), a leading Chinese institution in agricultural technology innovation and international knowledge sharing. The program was designed specifically to address the growing challenges of water scarcity that many small island developing states (SIDS) like Antigua and Barbuda face amid shifting climate patterns.

Over the course of the seminar, delegates traveled across four key agricultural and technological hubs in northern China: Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, and Tianjin. The curriculum balanced theoretical technical sessions, hands-on practical training exercises, and immersive on-site field visits, giving participants first-hand exposure to a wide range of advanced agricultural tools and practices. Topics covered included next-generation automated irrigation infrastructure, targeted water conservation strategies, precision soil quality monitoring, and the integration of digital smart agriculture systems into small and medium-scale farming operations.

One of the most anticipated segments of the program was the CAAMS Strategic Workshop for International Partners, a collaborative event that brought together trainee delegations from multiple developing nations. During the workshop, the Antigua and Barbuda team paired up with delegates from neighboring Caribbean country Grenada to develop a joint presentation on adapting water-saving technologies for small island contexts. The collaborative effort earned the team second place overall in the workshop’s presentation competition, highlighting the strength of their problem-solving and cross-national partnership skills.

Beyond technical skill-building, the training program placed significant focus on fostering long-term strategic partnerships, expanding international agricultural cooperation, and encouraging innovative solutions to shared development challenges. Having returned to Antigua and Barbuda after completing the program, the delegation now carries a portfolio of actionable knowledge and practical experience that is expected to drive meaningful improvements across the country’s agricultural sector. Experts anticipate the new skills will support more efficient water resource management, advance the transition to more climate-resilient sustainable agriculture, and boost a culture of innovation that addresses the unique needs of Antigua and Barbuda’s farming community.

5 9 月, 2026
Crisis : Haiti faces the collapse of its agriculture

The Caribbean nation of Haiti, despite holding abundant natural resources and a resilient local workforce, is currently grappling with one of the most severe agricultural crises in its modern history, a collapse that has pushed the country into deepening food insecurity and dependence on international markets.

Multiple interconnected crises have fueled this downward spiral, ranging from systemic governance failures and incoherent national policy frameworks to widespread environmental degradation and a chronic lack of targeted technical support for small-scale producers. Today, more than 60 percent of all food consumed by Haitian communities is imported from overseas – a statistic that has completely eroded the country’s long-held goal of national food sovereignty and left the population extremely vulnerable to volatile swings in global commodity prices and supply chain disruptions.

Domestic agricultural output has continued to plummet, driven by a toxic mix of widespread gang-related insecurity, accelerating climate change impacts, chronically low public investment, crumbling agricultural infrastructure, and persistent mismanagement. The country can no longer produce enough staple food to meet the needs of its growing population, locking it into a crippling cycle of import dependence that shows no signs of reversal.

Beyond the collapse of crop production, Haiti’s critical livestock sector is also facing an unprecedented meltdown. Beef, goat, sheep, pig, and poultry production have all seen sharp, worrying declines, fueled by insecurity, rampant livestock theft, underfunded and weak veterinary services, widespread shortages of animal feed, degradation of grazing lands, and the complete absence of a coordinated national strategy for livestock development.

This collapse hits particularly hard because livestock represents one of the most important economic assets for Haitian rural households. For many families, farm animals act as a form of living savings that can be drawn on to pay for children’s school fees, cover unexpected medical costs, fund agricultural investments, and weather sudden emergencies. As the national livestock population gradually disappears, household livelihoods are further eroded, and access to affordable, locally produced animal protein has dropped dramatically across rural communities. The decline of the domestic livestock sector has also pushed up imports of meat, dairy products, and eggs, worsening Haiti’s already strained trade deficit and deepening its overall food dependence.

Water scarcity represents another crippling barrier to agricultural recovery. Water, the most essential input for productive farming, is chronically scarce especially in rural Haiti, and decades of inadequate water management have undermined production capacity and limited farmers’ ability to irrigate crops effectively even during periods of adequate rainfall.

A chronic lack of technical assistance compounds these challenges. Most smallholder Haitian farmers have no access to ongoing technical support or agricultural training, leaving them unable to update outdated farming practices or adopt more productive, climate-resilient sustainable methods that could boost output.

Widespread insecurity, fueled by the proliferation of armed criminal gangs across large swathes of the country, has had particularly devastating consequences for the agricultural sector. Farmers regularly face threats and violent attacks, leaving them unwilling to invest time, money, or labor into planting and maintaining crops out of fear for their personal safety. Beyond suppressing production, insecurity also blocks farmers from reaching local markets to sell their harvest, restricts travel needed to purchase seeds, fertilizers, and other critical farming inputs, and has discouraged collaborative cooperative initiatives that could strengthen smallholder resilience. As a result, large areas of arable land remain underutilized, and Haiti’s significant untapped agricultural potential remains severely constrained.

Compounding these systemic challenges is a catastrophic environmental crisis that continues to undermine agricultural productivity. Decades of unchecked deforestation, accelerating soil erosion, and widespread water pollution have degraded soil fertility and lowered quality of life for rural communities. The absence of sustainable natural resource management has further amplified the negative impacts of climate change, leaving Haiti’s agricultural sector even more vulnerable to extreme weather events and slow-onset environmental shifts.

In response to the deepening crisis, Haitian agricultural development organizations ALLO AGRO and PROMODEV have put forward a sweeping set of seven targeted recommendations to reverse the collapse and rebuild a more resilient national food system:

First, the groups call for urgent strengthening of agricultural and environmental governance, including efforts to rebuild public trust in the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment. Key reforms include increasing institutional transparency, improving clear communication with the public, and expanding meaningful participation for key stakeholders, including smallholder farmers and civil society organizations, in policy design.

Second, they propose the establishment of a National Sentinel Commission, made up of representatives from farmer associations and environmental organizations, to ensure all stakeholders are included in the country’s socio-economic development process. The commission would play a formal advisory role to shape national agricultural and environmental policy.

Third, the groups highlight the urgent need to invest in modern, sustainable irrigation infrastructure. This will require coordinated collaboration between the Haitian government, international development organizations, and local communities to guarantee equitable access to water for all smallholder producers.

Fourth, they call for targeted support for rural women, widely known as *Madan Sara*, who play a central role in Haitian food production. The organizations say specific programs are needed to provide rural women with expanded access to technical training, credit, and the productive resources they need to boost output and strengthen their own economic security.

Fifth, they recommend transferring regulatory management of the country’s eel fishery to the Ministries of Commerce, Interior, and Environment, a shift that requires formal approval from the Prime Minister, to reduce regulatory burdens on the agricultural sector. Publishing formal harvesting and export permits in Haiti’s official gazette, Le Moniteur, would also improve transparency and regulation of this valuable natural resource.

Sixth, the organizations urge greater investment in promoting sustainable agricultural practices that protect the natural environment and preserve biodiversity. This includes expanded training for farmers in modern, eco-friendly production techniques that boost output while reducing environmental harm.

Finally, they call for broad public awareness and education campaigns to inform the Haitian population about the critical importance of national food security and environmental protection. Educating young people about agricultural and environmental issues, they argue, will build long-term collective awareness and encourage civic action to support sustainable agricultural development.

5 9 月, 2026
Caricom zet volgende stap in strijd voor herstelbetalingen slavernij

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) is poised to move the global campaign for reparations for the centuries of harm caused by slavery and colonialism into a critical new implementation phase, with a landmark regional conference set to take place in Barbados from September 17 to 19. Organized by the Caricom Reparations Commission (CRC), the government of Barbados and the Caricom Secretariat, this gathering marks the first major regional summit focused on reparatory justice in over a decade, following earlier meetings held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2013 and Antigua and Barbuda in 2014. The conference carries the forward-thinking theme “Reparatory Justice as the Coming Enlightenment,” and will center on shifting the global conversation from formal recognition and symbolic political statements to tangible, actionable reparations measures. The conference comes at a pivotal moment for the global reparations movement. In March of this year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/80/250, which formally classifies the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and race-based chattel slavery as one of the worst crimes against humanity in recorded history. Caricom has hailed this resolution as a landmark strengthening of both the legal and political foundation of its decades-long push for reparatory justice. Just this week, another significant legal development boosted the movement: the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination confirmed that signatory nations to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination are legally required to consider reparations measures to address the ongoing harms of the transatlantic slave trade. The committee clarified that reparations extend far beyond direct financial compensation, encompassing actions such as opening restricted historical archives, supporting formal truth-telling processes, and reforming how societies publicly memorialize the history of slavery. At the core of the Barbados conference will be the revised Caricom Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice, which received formal approval from Caricom heads of government in July. The original framework, first launched years ago, already includes key demands such as formal public apologies from former colonial powers, targeted development programs for Indigenous communities, investment in cultural institutions, improved public health and education infrastructure, technology transfer, multilateral debt cancellation, and targeted financial reparations. The revised plan will guide the movement’s work over the coming five years, and conference delegates will work to draft concrete operational roadmaps for the 2027-2031 period. A key priority on the agenda is the development of the Bridgetown Action Plan on Reparations, which will outline clear next steps for implementation. Delegates will also work to establish formal frameworks for reparations delivery and expand cross-regional collaboration on digital repositories and accessible historical archives connected to the slave trade. Between 150 and 200 delegates are expected to attend the summit, representing a broad range of stakeholders. In addition to Caricom heads of government and cabinet ministers, the gathering will include representatives from the African Union, the United Nations, national reparations commissions, academic researchers, civil society organizations, youth leaders, and members of the African diaspora. The conference reflects the growing cross-continental collaboration between Caribbean and African nations advancing the global reparations agenda. In June, leaders from African and Caribbean states gathered in Ghana to agree on a joint action framework that covers a wide range of priorities, including formal apologies from former colonial powers, multilateral debt relief, financial compensation, reform of global financial institutions, the creation of a global reparations fund, the repatriation of stolen cultural heritage, and targeted reparations measures to address the disproportionate harm of slavery inflicted on women and girls. For Suriname, a Caricom member state with its own deep history of colonial enslavement that has long supported the community’s reparations program, the upcoming conference carries direct national significance. Suriname President Jennifer Simons has previously reaffirmed the country’s full support for the revised Caricom Ten-Point Plan, tying the nation’s position to the shared historical bonds connecting the Caribbean and Africa and the recent UN recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity. All eyes will now turn to Barbados, where the global reparations movement will seek to prove it can deliver on its long-held goals by moving beyond demands for historical recognition to concrete, accountable action. After decades of debate confirming that slavery and colonialism caused persistent, intergenerational harm that continues to shape global inequality today, the conversation has shifted decisively: the core questions now are what form reparations must take, which nations and institutions bear responsibility for addressing harm, and how former colonial powers that accumulated wealth from centuries of exploitation will contribute to meaningful redress.

5 9 月, 2026
Can the Belize Compact Save At-Risk Youths?

Scheduled for release on September 4, 2026, a new policy conversation is emerging in Belize centered on whether a major $125 million development agreement can be redirected to tackle a growing crisis facing the nation’s vulnerable young population. Andre Bauer, the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Belize, is leading the call to leverage the Belize Compact, a funding agreement managed by the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), to create life-changing opportunities for at-risk youth grappling with surging hard drug use.

After reviewing local data documenting the steady expansion of drug consumption among Belizean adolescents and young adults, Bauer identified youth intervention as a top priority during his tenure. Belize’s demographic landscape, which features a disproportionately large youth population, makes targeted investment in this group all the more urgent, he argues. Rather than limiting the compact’s $125 million budget solely to infrastructure projects such as energy sector improvements, Bauer is pushing to allocate a portion of the funds to programs that steer vulnerable young people away from substance abuse and toward constructive paths.

Under Bauer’s proposal, the compact would support a range of youth-focused initiatives including apprenticeships, vocational training programs, expanded education access, and employment placement services. The ambassador emphasized that creating tangible, meaningful opportunities is the most effective way to show at-risk youth that drug use is not a viable future, and that open, honest dialogue – even when uncomfortable – is a critical first step to addressing the root of the crisis.

Before any funding shifts can move forward, however, Bauer notes that the government of Belize and the MCC must first hold comprehensive, serious negotiations to confirm that repurposing a portion of the compact’s budget aligns with the agreement’s core mission and eligibility requirements. The proposal has already sparked discussion across Belize about how to best tackle the country’s youth substance abuse crisis and unlock long-term social and economic progress for the nation’s largest demographic group.

5 9 月, 2026
CARICOM Eminent Persons Group steps up Haiti engagement ahead of elections

As Haiti enters the final stretch of preparations for its December 13, 2026 general elections, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has deepened its diplomatic and facilitation work to stabilize the crisis-battered nation, with its high-level Eminent Persons Group (EPG) currently on the ground holding talks with a broad cross-section of Haitian stakeholders.

In a formal address delivered September 3, 2026 to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS), CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett outlined that the EPG — a three-member panel of former prime ministers established in 2023 — is currently meeting with a diverse range of actors involved in the upcoming electoral cycle, including newly formed political parties, emerging electoral coalitions, and civil society leaders. This on-the-ground visit is part of CARICOM’s long-running mission to foster inclusive dialogue between Haiti’s fractured political and civic groups, and to back a homegrown resolution to the country’s years-long governance and security crisis.

Barnett’s address marked a historic moment: she noted it is believed to be the first time a sitting CARICOM Secretary-General has addressed the OAS Permanent Council, a milestone that underscores the growing coordinated regional push to support Haiti. The trip by the EPG builds on a high-level inter-American and international fact-finding mission to Haiti held August 16 to 19, in which CARICOM took part at the invitation of OAS Secretary-General Albert Ramdin. That mission was organized under the OAS’s flagship Haiti initiative, *Towards a Haitian-Led Roadmap for Stability and Peace with Regional and International Support*.

According to Barnett, the August visit delivered multiple key outcomes. It allowed participating international and regional actors to exchange on-the-ground experiences and lessons from past interventions, improved cross-partner coordination, and helped identify the most urgent unmet needs facing Haiti. Most critically, it sent a clear message to the Haitian public: despite the country’s years of overlapping political, security and humanitarian crises, the regional and international community has not abandoned them.

Security remains the most pressing barrier to peaceful, credible elections, and Barnett emphasized that both CARICOM and the OAS strongly back an extension of the mandate for the multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF), deployed to combat Haiti’s powerful armed gang networks that control large swathes of the country. However, she warned that pledges made by international partners to provide the GSF with critical personnel, funding, military equipment, and logistical support have yet to be fully honored. Strengthening support for the GSF, Barnett argued, is non-negotiable to rolling back gang control of territory, reducing widespread violence, and creating the secure conditions required for Haitians to cast their ballots freely in December.

As the electoral process moves forward, Barnett added that independent election observation will grow in importance to underpin Haiti’s return to constitutional democratic rule. She noted that CARICOM and the OAS have a proven track record of collaborating on election monitoring in Haiti, and stand ready to partner again on this critical task.

Looking beyond the upcoming vote, CARICOM will continue its close collaboration with the OAS and other international partners to support Haiti, with a long-term focus on attracting sustainable investment, creating much-needed jobs, and expanding access to essential public services for Haitian citizens. Barnett drew special attention to the daily toll of criminal violence on ordinary Haitians, noting that pervasive insecurity has disrupted livelihoods, shuttered schools, blocked access to life-saving medical care, and restricted freedom of movement for millions across the country.

In closing, Barnett reaffirmed that CARICOM’s core objective remains centered on empowering Haitians to lead their own path out of crisis, enabling the country to build long-term stability and improve quality of life for all its people.

4 9 月, 2026
Colombian man has US$600,000 seized at Las Américas Airport

Authorities at the Dominican Republic’s busiest international air hub, Las Américas International Airport (AILA), have taken a Colombian national into custody after discovering more than $600,000 in undeclared cash hidden in his luggage and on his person ahead of a planned flight to Panama.

The interception was a coordinated operation led by the Dominican Republic’s General Directorate of Customs (DGA), working alongside the Specialized Corps in Airport and Civil Aviation Security (CESAC) and the Public Ministry’s Prevention and Prosecution Unit targeting smuggling and illicit trafficking. According to official details released after the seizure, the passenger hid $599,700 in U.S. currency inside his carry-on bag, stashed an additional $1,000 in his personal pockets, and also carried 647,000 Colombian pesos that went unreported to customs screeners.

At the official exchange rate published by Dominican authorities, the total seized U.S. dollars convert to roughly 35,981,930 Dominican pesos (RD$). Dominican law sets a strict cap on the amount of cash travelers can carry across the border without submitting a formal declaration, and this far exceeded that legal threshold. Following the detention, the unnamed passenger was turned over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which will launch a full investigation to trace the origin and intended final destination of the unreported currency before determining what formal legal charges or actions will be pursued.

DGA Director General Nelson Arroyo used the high-profile seizure to reaffirm his agency’s ongoing commitment to cracking down on cross-border illicit activity. Arroyo noted that the DGA maintains round-the-clock, enhanced surveillance at all of the country’s ports, airports, and official border crossing points as a core part of its national strategy to disrupt smuggling networks and the illicit trafficking of controlled goods and high-value assets.

This latest cash seizure is just one of several successful enforcement actions carried out by the DGA in recent weeks. Just one month prior, the agency announced another major win against contraband: the interception of two incoming shipping containers that held 4.5 million contraband cigarettes from the Jaisalmer brand and 961 unreported televisions spanning multiple brands and sizes. Officials estimate that seizure prevented more than RD$42.2 million in lost import duties and tax revenue that would have otherwise gone uncollected by the Dominican government.

In response to rising concerns about transnational money laundering and illicit cash flows, Dominican customs and airport security teams have ramped up screening protocols for all passengers entering and exiting the country who carry large volumes of cash. The enhanced controls are designed to flag potential smuggling operations, money laundering schemes, and other illegal financial activities before they can be carried out across national borders.

4 9 月, 2026
Towards a strengthening of bilateral relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic

In a landmark step toward deeper bilateral cooperation, top diplomatic officials from Haiti and the Dominican Republic gathered for a working meeting at the CODEVI Industrial Park in Ounaminthe on September 3, 2026, marking a new chapter in cross-border relations between the two neighboring Caribbean nations.

Haiti’s delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Raina Forbin, who was joined by a cohort of senior diplomatic representatives: Fritz Emmanuel Longchamp, Haiti’s ambassador to the Dominican Republic; Winnie Hugot Gabriel, Chief of Staff; Jean-Claude Lappé, Director of Political Affairs; Yves Rody Jean, Director of Dominican Affairs; and Ricot Almonord, Head of the Haitian Consular Post in Dajabón. Leading the Dominican delegation was Foreign Minister Víctor O. Bisonó Haza, accompanied by key officials including Rubén Silié, Vice Minister of Multilateral Foreign Policy; Francisco Caraballo, Vice Minister of Bilateral Foreign Policy; Ramón Pérez Fermín, Vice Minister in charge of Management and Operations of the Foreign Service; Faruk Miguel, Dominican Ambassador to Haiti; and Jatzel Román, Advisor to the Dominican Foreign Minister.

Talks centered on five critical shared priorities: enhancing border security, cracking down on cross-border illicit economic activity, addressing migration coordination, formalizing bilateral trade and investment frameworks, and expanding commercial air connectivity between the two countries. Both ministers reached consensus on the urgent need to reinforce existing cooperation mechanisms to upgrade border governance and migration management, with a core commitment to upholding the sovereign interests of both nations throughout all collaborative efforts.

Beyond border and economic issues, both delegations also underlined the critical importance of sustained international backing for the Haitian Gang Suppression Force (GSF). The two sides agreed to continue collective advocacy for the full operational deployment of the GSF—established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2793—and to push for the renewal of the force’s mandate. These efforts are designed to support Haitian national authorities in restoring widespread public security, strengthening state institutional capacity, and laying the foundational conditions for long-term, lasting peace across Haiti.

On the topic of Dominican consular operations within Haiti, both parties reaffirmed their shared commitment to fully normalizing services as quickly as possible, once regional security conditions meet the threshold required for safe, consistent operation of consular facilities in their respective jurisdictions.

Following the formal bilateral working session, the two diplomatic delegations held a separate meeting with private sector stakeholders from both countries. Discussions in this session focused on expanding cross-border productive activity, generating new shared employment opportunities, accelerating mutually beneficial economic exchange, and leveraging the private sector as a core driver of stronger bilateral relations between the two nations.

The entire summit unfolded in a warm, cordial atmosphere, with both sides reaffirming their long-standing commitment to maintaining open, active bilateral dialogue as the primary channel for addressing shared challenges and advancing mutual interests. This commitment is rooted in a foundational spirit of mutual respect, targeted cooperation, and good neighborliness that will guide future engagement between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

4 9 月, 2026