During the US Senate confirmation hearing, US ambassador nominee to the Dominican Republic, Leah Francis Campos spoke of how counteracting the growing influence of China in the Dominican Republic would be a priority of her administration. “…. I will work tirelessly to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s influence in the Dominican Republic and throughout the hemisphere,” she said during the confirmation hearing.
She spoke of what she described as the “robust, dynamic relationship between the two countries. More than two million Americans of Dominican heritage reside in the US, five million US tourists visit the DR every year. The US enjoys a more than US$5.5 billion trade surplus with the DR with more than US$30 billion in bilateral trade. “These connections provide a strong foundation for collaboration on key issues that impact both of our nations,” she said.
She also said that among her top priorities, if confirmed, will be to work closely with the Dominican government to enhance border security and curb illegal immigration to the US while stepping up the work we already do together to disrupt the operations of drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
“The DR and US already have a strong relationship, and we haven’t had an ambassador for more than four years. I hope to reinvigorate and strengthen relationship,” she said. She mentioned combatting drug trafficking as another priority.
She addressed the challenge of Haiti and her priority to work for what she called creating “a positive chapter for Haiti.” She said she would work closely with the US mission in Port-au-Prince “to find solutions to stabilize the situation in Haiti is troubling at best.“
She also said another priority once confirmed will be working on the agenda of the Summit of the Americas scheduled for early December 2025 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. “If confirmed, it will be a top priority to align with the interests of the US and interests in keeping the region stable, secure democratic, combatting criminality in the region, a key issue in the region and at the summit,” she said during the confirmation hearing.
The Dominican Republic is under plenty of international pressure to become more of the solution to Haiti. Yet, given the high cost in taxpayer money and sovereignty, the DR is reverting from this trend acknowledging the reality that international forces have been doing less and less to find a Haitian solution to the Haitian crisis.
Given the lack of international actions, the DR has enforced border security, and has begun to crack down on people and goods smuggling mafias that profit from the crisis in Haiti. Moreso, for the first time in decades, the DR is taking actions to send the message the DR cannot be the main provider of the social services – education and hospital services for the population in Haiti.
The border security and social services come at a very high cost to the Dominican Republic. Recently, the Dominican government spent RD$500 million to purchase air-conditioned buses to transport deported Haitians to Haiti. The DR shares a 391 km border of which there is only a concrete fence at 50 km of the border. Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez calls the border a “revolving door.”
In recent developments of US and DR relations, President Donald Trump and President Luis Abinader spoke briefly when they both coincided in the Vatican See for the funeral ceremonies of Pope Francis. Likewise, last week US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called President Luis Abinader to reaffirm US collaboration to the DR in the key issue of irregular immigration.
Last week, the Dominican Migration Agency cracked down on Chinese stores and detained dozens of undocumented Haitian workers irregularly employed by the large stores. Chinese investment has opened hundreds of stores, including megastores, to sell Chinese goods. Established businesses have protested the privileged import regimes that have enabled the entry of Chinese goods, as well as the lax tax and labor inspections on these businesses.
The appointment of Leah Campos coincides with the naming of Maria Isabel Castillo Baez as Dominican ambassador in Washington, DC. She is taking office this May. Previously, she was the Dominican ambassador in Mexico.
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6 May 2025