Federal immigration authorities have detained Dimitri Vorbe, one of Haiti’s most influential businessmen, marking the latest high-profile arrest of a Haitian elite figure on U.S. soil.
Vorbe is currently being held at the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records. As of Tuesday, no formal charges had been filed, and ICE has not provided comment on the reason for his arrest.
This development follows the recent detention of Réginald Boulos, another prominent Haitian businessman and former presidential candidate, who was arrested in Florida two months ago. U.S. authorities have accused Boulos of backing violent gangs in Haiti that have been designated as terrorist organizations.
“These arrests are reaching into the upper layers of Haitian society, even in exile,” said Michael Deibert, author of several books on Haiti. “It sends a message to the country’s political and economic elite that they are no longer beyond reach.”
Vorbe’s family owns Société Générale d’Énergie S.A., a major private electricity provider in Haiti. Under former President René Préval, the family also secured lucrative government contracts for infrastructure projects such as road construction.
Jake Johnston, research director at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, noted that both Vorbe and Boulos were among the elite figures targeted by former President Jovenel Moïse. In 2020, Moïse’s administration seized Vorbe’s power company amid corruption allegations.
“There’s little public sympathy in Haiti for figures like Vorbe and Boulos,” Johnston said. “In a country with a broken judicial system, some may view these arrests as a rare glimpse of accountability. But the broader strategy remains unclear—how does this help Haiti?”
Vorbe’s arrest came just one day after the U.S. government sanctioned two former Haitian officials linked to his family—Arnel Belizaire and Antonio Cheramy—for alleged corruption. The sanctions render them and their immediate families generally ineligible to enter the United States.
“The U.S. will continue to pursue those who support terrorist gangs through legal action, sanctions, and immigration enforcement,” said Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
The Vorbe family wields significant political influence in addition to its economic power. Joel “Pacha” Vorbe is a member of the Fanmi Lavalas political party, and a former attorney for the family’s power company briefly served as Haiti’s justice minister before resigning and being sanctioned by Canada.
For years, Haiti’s elite families have faced accusations of collaborating with gangs that now control most of Port-au-Prince, as violence continues to escalate across the capital.
