Haiti-United States: Businessman Dimitri Vorbe Arrested in Florida, Washington Reveals Reasons

Arrested in the United States on September 23, 2025, Haitian businessman Dimitri Vorbe, a central figure in the electricity production company SOGENER, could soon be deported. According to information published on the website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (@DHSgov), he is currently detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) at the Krome detention center, in Florida. This arrest comes after sanctions imposed by the U.S. State Department against two former Haitian parliamentarians, Antonio Cheramy (alias Don Kato) and Anel Bélizaire, accused of contributing to the political and security destabilization of Haiti. Close to Cheramy, Dimitri Vorbe had been living in the United States for several years. In a statement on X published on September 24, the State Department specified that Dimitri Vorbe's presence and activities on U.S. territory “could have serious negative consequences for U.S. foreign policy.” Washington asserts that the businessman allegedly led a “campaign of violence and support for gangs,” thereby participating in the destabilization of Haiti. These accusations form the legal basis for the deportation proceedings initiated against him. This affair resonates particularly within the context of Haitian political tensions. Some, in the public outcry, accuse him without proof of having played an indirect role in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. These suspicions are notably explained by the fact that Dimitri Vorbe was one of the main beneficiaries of the contract linking SOGENER to the Haitian State for electricity production in Varreux. This contract, concluded several years prior, had been terminated by the deceased head of state, who denounced irregularities and practices deemed abusive. In this charged atmosphere, a tweet published immediately after the arrest by Jovenel Moïse's son quickly attracted attention. Without directly mentioning Dimitri Vorbe, his message was widely interpreted as a reaction to the event, rekindling old disputes surrounding the SOGENER contract and the suspicions related to his father's assassination on July 7, 2021. For now, U.S. authorities have not specified the duration of the detention or the date of a potential hearing. But Dimitri Vorbe's arrest, following that of businessman Réginald Boulos a few months ago, marks a new turning point in Washington's policy towards certain Haitian economic and political actors, suspected of fueling the instability that ravages the country. The editorial team