Latest Dominican Republic News

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...

Blinken visits Dominican Republic as talks with president focus on economy and Haiti's crisis

Sep. 06, 2024 17:06 PM EDT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The U.S. secretary of state and the leader of the Dominican Republic held private talks Friday on a range of issues, from human rights, economic prosperity and regional security. However, the crisis in violence-wrecked Haiti dominated the discussions. ...

A truck plowed into a bar in the Dominican Republic killing 11 and injuring 40

Sep. 01, 2024 16:25 PM EDT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A truck plowed into a bar in the Dominican Republic early Sunday killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 40, authorities said. The crash happened in the southern community of Azua, located west of the capital, Santo Domingo, Juan Salas, the...

A top court in the Dominican Republic deliberates anti-sodomy laws targeting police and military

Aug. 31, 2024 13:20 PM EDT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A top court in the Dominican Republic has agreed to review a challenge to laws dating from the last century that criminalize gay sex involving members of the army and police force. It’s the first time in recent history that someone in the socially...

Pirates' Cruz planning to reach out to Tatis as he makes his move from shortstop to center field

Aug. 27, 2024 17:47 PM EDT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Oneil Cruz is planning to reach out to Fernando Tatis Jr. They have a lot to talk about. Cruz said Tuesday he was disappointed when he was told by the Pittsburgh Pirates that he was moving from shortstop to center field. He thought he had done...