Latest Dominican Republic News

Wander Franco charged with illegally carrying a gun in the altercation that led to his arrest

Nov. 12, 2024 17:12 PM EST

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was charged with illegally carrying a gun in his vehicle during the altercation in a parking lot that led to his arrest in the Dominican Republic over the weekend, prosecutors said Tuesday. The attorney...

Haitian activists demand halt to deportations as gang violence and poverty soar

Nov. 07, 2024 14:24 PM EST

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian activists on Thursday demanded that other countries temporarily stop deportations to their country due to a surge in gang violence and deepening poverty. Tens of thousands of people have been deported to Haiti in the past month, mostly from the...

Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine is detained in New York on parole violation claims

Oct. 29, 2024 18:12 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine tried unsuccessfully Tuesday to persuade a federal judge not to send him to jail, calling him “bro” and insisting he never meant to violate the terms of his probation from a felony conviction. Judge Paul A. Engelmayer in Manhattan ordered...

Dominican Republic starts mass deportations of Haitians and expels nearly 11,000 in a week

Oct. 08, 2024 17:18 PM EDT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican Republic said Tuesday it has deported or repatriated nearly 11,000 Haitians in the past week, fulfilling a pledge to do so weekly as neighboring Haiti scrambles to handle the influx while besieged by gang violence and poverty. ...

Federal agents detain 64 Haitian migrants left stranded on an island near Puerto Rico

Oct. 03, 2024 16:37 PM EDT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Federal agents said they detained 64 Haitian migrants on Thursday after smugglers abandoned them on an uninhabited island west of Puerto Rico. Park rangers alerted authorities after discovering the group on Mona Island, according to U.S. Customs and...

Dominican Republic will deport up to 10,000 Haitians a week, citing an 'excess' of immigrants

Oct. 02, 2024 18:06 PM EDT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican Republic announced Wednesday that it would start massive deportations of Haitians living illegally in the country, expelling up to 10,000 of them a week. Government spokesman Homero Figueroa told reporters that the government...

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will go to trial in sexual abuse case

Sep. 26, 2024 20:38 PM EDT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will go to trial on charges that he sexually abused a minor, a judge in the Dominican Republic said on Thursday. After an investigation that lasted over a year, judge Pascual Valenzuela of the northern...

Karl-Anthony Towns bringing youth basketball facility to Dominican Republic, his mother's homeland

Sep. 26, 2024 10:07 AM EDT

Karl-Anthony Towns was born in New Jersey, went to college in Kentucky and has spent the entirety of his NBA career in Minnesota. His roots, however, are in the Dominican Republic. And to continue paying homage to his late mother’s homeland, Towns announced plans Thursday to help...

Dominican president warns of 'drastic measures' if anti-gang mission in Haiti fails

Sep. 25, 2024 18:36 PM EDT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The president of the Dominican Republic warned Wednesday that his administration would take “drastic measures” to protect the country if a U.N.-backed mission in neighboring Haiti targeting gang violence fails. Luis Abinader did not provide details...

Dominican and US officials crack down on regional drug trafficking ring

Sep. 18, 2024 16:59 PM EDT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — U.S. and Dominican officials on Wednesday arrested nearly a dozen suspects after they launched a joint operation to crack down on a regional drug trafficking ring. Officials with the Dominican Republic’s Anti-Drug Agency and agents with...