US seeks to deport second prominent Haitian businessman

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PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -Prominent Haitian businessman Dimitri Vorbe is facing deportation from the United States after he was arrested by immigration authorities on Tuesday on charges of supporting armed gangs in his Caribbean homeland.

Vorbe and his family own a private power company that was once one of the top suppliers of electricity to Haiti’s state provider. The family is also active in Haitian politics and is involved in building armored vehicles for the national police.

“The charges brought against him, if confirmed, are inexplicable as Dimitri has never supported or financed gang activity in Haiti and has always advocated for a safe and stable country for all,” Joel Vorbe, Dimitri’s brother, told Reuters.

He added that his brother had not traveled to Haiti since he arrived in the U.S. back in 2019 as his passport was taken shortly after by U.S. authorities. “We hope the proceedings will be fair so that he can regain his freedom,” Joel Vorbe said.

Reginald Boulos, a Haitian doctor and one-time presidential hopeful whose family runs a group of supermarkets and car dealerships, was recently arrested on the same charges. Boulos rejects the charges and is opposing deportation.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused both men of supporting armed gangs in Haiti – many of which Washington has designated as foreign terrorist organizations – as well as violating local immigration laws.

The State Department in both cases said it determined their presence presented “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States, providing a basis for the charge of removability.”

Local media reported that Vorbe was being held at the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami.

(Reporting by Harold Isaac and Sarah Morland; Editing by Kylie Madry, Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Berkrot)