The US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, Barbara Feinstein visited the Dominican border with Haiti on 1 March 2023.
Barbara Feinstein visited accompanied by US military personnel and made a supervisory tour of the military installations and the border crossing in the northern part of the Dominican Republic.
The US government mission to the border was accompanied by senior soldiers of the Dominican Republic Army and the Specialized Corps for Land Border Security (Cesfront). The officers explained to the mission the operations at the border.
Hoy reports on the visit but said that the purpose of her visit was not officially disclosed. Feinstein declined to offer statements to the press.
The newspaper report indicates that the visit is especially relevant since it took place two days after President Luis Abinader said in his state of the nation speech at the National Assembly on 27 February 2023 that “the migratory policy is set only by the Dominican government.”
“Never has the situation in our neighboring country been so dramatic. Haiti is today a country devastated by crises, with a collapsed state and an international community that does not act,” said Abinader, who called for a country pact to address the Haitian situation.
It was reported that Feinstein will travel to the south of the country via the international highway to visit other border provinces.
The United States has yet to appoint an ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
Read more:
Hoy
US State Department – Barbara Feinstein
2 March 2023