A U.S. federal judge has approved a negotiated agreement that will allow prominent Haitian businessman Dimitri Albert Edouard Vorbe to be transferred to the Dominican Republic instead of being deported to Haiti, effectively ending nearly eight months of immigration detention in South Florida.
According to Vorbe’s attorney, Frandley Denis Julien, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles validated the agreement on May 12, 2026. The court order explicitly prohibits U.S. authorities from deporting Vorbe to Haiti under any circumstances and directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to facilitate his removal to the Dominican Republic within seven days.
Vorbe has been detained since his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on September 23, 2025, at the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami. As part of the agreement, he will withdraw his ongoing lawsuit challenging the conditions of his detention once he arrives in the Dominican Republic.
U.S. authorities had accused Vorbe’s presence in the United States of posing “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences,” allegedly linked to violence and support for armed groups contributing to Haiti’s ongoing instability. No criminal charges were filed against him in the United States; the case was handled entirely through immigration proceedings.
As of May 13, 2026, the situation remains fluid. The Dominican Republic has publicly stated that Vorbe has been subject to an entry ban since October 13, 2025, and has reaffirmed that he will not be allowed to enter Dominican territory. This creates potential complications for the implementation of the U.S. court order.
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