US detains Haitian business magnate over ties to gangs

WASHINGTON — Immigration agents arrested Haitian businessman Dimitri Vorbe in the Miami area on Tuesday after determining he engaged in a campaign of violence and gang support that contributed to Haiti's destabilization, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday. The announcement underscored Washington's concern about networks linking Haiti's political and economic elite to violent gangs that have destabilized the country in recent years.

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti said in a social-media post that Vorbe's activities in the United States could harm Washington's foreign policy. The post included a video with a mugshot and the word DETAINED in red capital letters emblazoned over his face, and showed him standing in front of two unidentified officials wearing flak jackets. Vorbe was placed in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Miami area.

Vorbe comes from a powerful Haitian family that owned a private power company providing electricity in Haiti and secured lucrative government contracts for key construction projects. He is the second person from Haiti's elite to be arrested on U.S. soil in the past two months. In July, Pierre Réginald Boulos, a businessman, doctor and former Haitian presidential hopeful, was arrested and remains detained near Miami. Authorities have accused Boulos of supporting violent gangs in Haiti that the U.S. government has deemed terrorist groups. It was not immediately clear if Vorbe or Boulos have been charged; a review of court records shows no formal charges filed against either man.

Haiti's crisis has long been linked to gang violence, with gangs controlling up to 90% of Port-au-Prince in recent months. A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan officers supporting Haiti’s National Police has struggled to quell the violence as it remains understaffed and underfunded. The mission began last year with a target of about 2,500 personnel and a yearly trust fund of roughly $800 million, but current figures show fewer than 1,000 personnel and about $112 million in the fund — roughly 14% of the annual need.

Vorbe’s arrest comes as Haiti’s crisis dominates discussion at the U.N. General Assembly this week. Kenyan President William Ruto said logistics, transport and support were the biggest impediments to the current mission, which ends next week, and he supported a successor mission with a more robust mandate to confront gangs on the ground. Ruto noted that some vehicles supplied by the United States were second-hand and prone to breakdowns, risking the safety of peacekeepers in hostile areas. He said Kenya supports a stronger mandate and a continued international presence to address the crisis.

The United States and Panama have urged the U.N. Security Council to authorize a new force of about 5,550 personnel with the power to detain suspected gang members. Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, whose country shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, said the only path forward is coherent and sustained international action and expressed support for the proposed gang-suppression force. Abinader argued that the multidimensional crisis in Haiti threatens regional peace and security and called for a clear, coordinated strategy among international partners.

The arrest of Vorbe — and the continued focus on Haiti’s political and economic elite — underscores the complexity of an international effort to stabilize a deteriorating security environment amid political fragility. While officials have publicly tied Vorbe to violence and gang support, no formal charges were immediately disclosed, and court records have not shown charges against Vorbe as of now. The case follows broader U.S. policy emphasis on disrupting networks that enable gang activity and destabilization in Haiti, while international partners debate scale, scope and funding for a multinational response.