The Immigration Department. in conjunction with the Immigration Service of the United States, is investigating alleged corruption at Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo, involving the falsifying of documents for illegal journeys by Cubans from the D.R. to the U.S. The director of Immigration, Dr. Leonardo Duran Fajardo, is directing an inquiry into the irregularities, together with members of the National Department of Investigations (DNI) and a representative of the U.S. Embassy, according to the newspaper Listin Diario.
The same paper reported in its 22 August edition that an undetermined number of immigration officials have been arrested as a result of the investigation, which began after U.S. immigration authorities discovered “dozens” of Cubans illegally arriving in Miami and New York on flights coming from Santo Domingo and La Romana. An unnamed source in the Immigration Department told the newspaper that the Cubans paid between RD$8,000 and RD$12,000 to board the flights. The Cubans, however, are being given political asylum in the U.S. and are not being sent back to Havana.
Two years ago, a scandal involving the sale of entry permits to Cubans for the D.R. was uncovered in the Foreign Ministry, and it has long been rumored that Santo Domingo serves as a bridge for Cubans illegally entering the United States.