Dominican Republic ejects Cuban diplomats, heightening US-backed regional tensions

On Thursday the Dominican Republic’s foreign ministry said nine Cuban diplomatic officials and their families must depart the country, offering no justification. Cuba’s foreign ministry disputed the figure, saying ten officials were expelled, and condemned the decision as a concession to U.S. policies accompanying an energy and financial blockade. The move comes after President Donald Trump introduced the “Shield of the Americas” security initiative in March, which deliberately left Cuba out because of political differences.

In recent months, several conservative Latin American governments, including those of Colombia and Ecuador, have reduced or severed diplomatic relations with Havana, aligning themselves with Trump’s stance. Cuban officials expressed regret over President Luis Abinader’s role, while former Dominican minister Miguel Mejía described the expulsion as an extreme measure comparable only to the rupture during Rafael Leonidas Trujillo’s dictatorship and demanded an explanation for the Dominican public.