Dominican Republic

The death toll rose to at least 184 after a nightclub roof collapsed early Tuesday in the Dominican capital during a concert attended by politicians, athletes, and others.

A “withhold release order” had been issued in 2022 for raw sugar and sugar products made by Central Romana over allegations of forced labor in the Dominican Republic. The company is partly owned by the Fanjul family — sugar barons based in West Palm Beach who have been influential in U.S. politics for decades.

Despite promises to improve the system, problems within prisons keep mounting. Critics say the Dominican Republic continues to push for pretrial detentions in cases where no charges have been filed.

The alleged human rights violations range from unauthorized home raids to racial profiling to deporting breastfeeding mothers and unaccompanied minors.

Relations between the neighboring countries on the island of Hispaniola have long been frosty. They are now complicated by up to 10,000 deportations a week.

The Dominican Republic's government spokesman Homero Figueroa said that the government took the decision after noticing an “excess” of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

The president of the Dominican Republic has warned that his administration would take “drastic measures” to protect the country if a U.N.-backed mission in neighboring Haiti targeting gang violence fails.

In election results made official Tuesday night, President Luis Abinader easily won his reelection bid, helped by restrictions on Haitian migrants, a vibrant economy and an anti-corruption drive.

The Dominican Republic has taken a hard-line stance with Haitian migrants, even as spiraling gang violence drives people to flee. Analysts hope that stance will soften.

The CDC did not say how common these deaths are or whether they are more common in the Dominican Republic. It does suggest steps that medical tourists should consider before traveling to get work done.

To spare girls from child marriage and teen pregnancy, some activists have developed “teenage clubs”, which gather adolescents to talk about sexual and reproductive rights, self-esteem, gender violence, finances and other topics.

President Joe Biden is trying to increase trade with Latin America. The Democrat is meeting with the heads of the Dominican Republic and Chile as part of a broader effort to disrupt China’s dominance in global manufacturing.