U.S.-Dominican Republic Cooperation through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative

Launched in 2010, the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) is a bipartisan effort transcending multiple U.S. Administrations, to help Caribbean partners disrupt illicit trafficking, counter transnational organized crime, and strengthen citizen security.  As of 2024, the U.S. government has committed more than $1 billion through CBSI to partner with 13 Caribbean countries, including the Dominican Republic.  CBSI programs advance U.S.-Dominican Republic cooperation and capacity building on key issues, including citizen security, illicit trafficking and transnational organized crime, criminal justice sector capacity building and access to justice, transparency and anti-corruption, and youth crime and violence.

Program highlights include:

Strengthening Citizen Security and Criminal Justice Institutions

• The United States supported the development and deployment of the Dominican Republic’s 911 emergency response system. In November 2023, the United States donated state-of-the-art servers to support the work of the 911 center, expanding access to emergency services to nearly 90 percent of the country.
• Through CBSI, the United States is helping bolster police responsiveness, address backlogs, and strengthen criminal justice sector institutions. S. support engages police, prosecutors, judges, and civil society.
• The United States advised and developed an alert system to track missing children and elders to return them home to their families.  
• Programs support police education, building criminal investigative capabilities, community policing, institutional transparency, and accountability.

Disrupting Illicit Trafficking and Transnational Organized Crime

• The United States partners with the Dominican Republic to dismantle transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), including TCOs involved in distributing cocaine, heroin, and synthetic drugs to citizens in both countries.
• Assistance to Dominican Republic counternarcotics, naval, and port security institutions builds capacity to interdict and deter illicit drug trafficking, contributing to the Dominican Republic’s record high annual seizure of over 22 metric tons of cocaine in 2022.
• U.S.-supported vetted units augment the Dominican Republic’s professionalization of law enforcement institutions and facilitate U.S.-Dominican collaboration to conduct complex narcotics trafficking and transnational organized crime investigations.
• The United States supported the Dominican Republic’s first anti-money laundering task force to detect and investigate financial crimes associated with transnational criminal organizations.

Youth Crime and Violence Prevention

• The United States partners with the Dominican Republic and civil society to mitigate factors that drive youth to engage in crime and violence; working with at risk youth by helping them stay in school, improve school retention, and helping youth find quality employment.
• Through CBSI programs, 155,479 youth from over 400 vulnerable neighborhoods have benefited from at-risk youth development programs, including job training, mentorship, and life skills workshops; and 237,442 members of low-income, marginalized communities received free legal or counseling services from Community Justice Houses.
• Additionally, programs have helped provide wraparound services to 58,870 survivors of gender-based violence including health and legal services, psycho-social counseling, and shelter.

Transparency and Anti-Corruption

• U.S. support is helping build the Dominican Republic’s capacity to investigate and prosecute the full spectrum of corruption.
• The United States has trained more than 1,453 government officials in anti-corruption principles.
• To prevent corruption within law enforcement institutions, the United States supports efforts to build talent retention and advance the professional development of the police workforce.
• Law enforcement and prosecutors collaborate to prosecute corruption cases, streamline legal processes to minimize backlogs, and improve citizens’ access to justice.

Enhancing Regional Cooperation

• The CBSI regional security partnership includes 13 countries: Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
• CBSI promotes sustained regional cooperation through an annual, ministerial-level Caribbean-U.S. Security Cooperation Dialogue, and technical working group meetings focused on addressing shared challenges, including maritime security, illicit firearms trafficking, and youth crime and violence prevention.

The United States works with the Dominican Republic to facilitate joint exercises and training with regional partners, including Colombia.

Official news published at https://www.state.gov/u-s-dominican-republic-cooperation-through-the-caribbean-basin-security-initiative/