US-Dominican Republic Cooperation through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative

The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), launched in 2010, is a bipartisan effort spanning multiple U.S. administrations to help Caribbean partners combat illicit trafficking, combat transnational organized crime, and strengthen citizen security. As of 2024, the U.S. government has committed more than $1 billion through CBSI to work with 13 Caribbean countries, including the Dominican Republic. CBSI programs promote U.S.-Dominican Republic collaboration and capacity building in key areas, including citizen security, illicit trafficking and transnational organized crime, criminal justice sector capacity building and access to justice, transparency and anti-corruption, and juvenile delinquency and violence.

Highlights of the program 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 helps increase police responsiveness, address backlogs, and strengthen criminal justice institutions. S. support engages police, prosecutors, judges, and civil society.
• The United States has developed an alert system to locate missing children and the elderly and return them to their families.
• Programmes support police training, criminal investigation capacity building, community policing, institutional transparency and accountability.

Disrupting illicit trade and transnational organised crime

• The United States is working with the Dominican Republic to dismantle transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), including TCOs involved in the distribution of cocaine, heroin, and synthetic drugs to citizens in both countries.
• Assistance to Dominican counternarcotics, naval and port security agencies increases the capacity to intercept and deter illicit drug trafficking, contributing to the Dominican Republic’s record-high annual seizure of over 22 tons of cocaine in 2022.
• U.S.-supported, controlled units contribute to the professionalization of law enforcement agencies in the Dominican Republic and facilitate U.S.-Dominican Republic cooperation in conducting complex investigations into drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.
• The United States supported the Dominican Republic’s first anti-money laundering task force, which tracks and investigates financial crimes linked to transnational criminal organizations.

Prevention of juvenile delinquency and violence

• The United States is working with the Dominican Republic and civil society to address factors that drive youth to crime and violence. They work with at-risk youth by helping them stay in school, improving their academic performance, and helping them find quality employment.
• Through CBSI programs, 155,479 youth from over 400 vulnerable neighborhoods benefited from at-risk youth development programs, including job training, mentoring, and life skills workshops. 237,442 members of poor, marginalized communities received free legal or counseling services from Community Justice Houses.
• In addition, the programmes helped provide 58,870 victims of gender-based violence with additional services, including health and legal services, psychosocial support and shelter.