The United States has issued a travel advisory cautioning its citizens about increased crime and delinquency in the Dominican Republic. The advisory, which was previously categorized as level 1 (normal exercise of caution), has been elevated to level 2 (increased travel caution). The State Department document advises travelers to exercise caution in the Dominican Republic due to concerns regarding violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide, and sexual assault. The availability of weapons, illicit drug use and trafficking, and weaknesses in the criminal justice system are cited as contributing factors to the high crime rate in the country. While the State Department acknowledges the presence of a professional tourist police force and the implementation of a 911 system in many areas, it notes that tourist areas are generally better policed compared to urban areas like Santo Domingo. The advisory provides several recommendations for U.S. citizens visiting the country, including being mindful of their surroundings, not resisting in the event of a robbery, avoiding displays of wealth such as expensive jewelry, following the guidance of tour operators and resorts regarding local safety concerns, enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), and staying updated on travel alerts from the Department of State. Additionally, the advisory suggests reviewing the Country Security Report of the Dominican Republic, preparing a contingency plan for emergency situations, and accessing the latest travel health information from the CDC. Travelers are encouraged to take these precautions to ensure their safety while visiting the Dominican Republic.
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Ramon Garcia
June 7, 2023 10:36 pm
If DR embrace Biden’s self destructive progressive and woke agendas, the US will lower the travel warnings.
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there
June 8, 2023 12:23 am
Reply to Ramon Garcia
Biden is like an 80 yr old man…. so you mean the ppl the “manage him” – is a joke
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there
June 8, 2023 12:24 am
Reply to Ramon Garcia
dude got elected from his basem*nt
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Dominican Dan
June 8, 2023 12:47 am
Reply to Ramon Garcia
Or, we could stop scamming them for all their money. There is a thought.
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Italman
June 8, 2023 3:35 am
Reply to Ramon Garcia
The pot calling the kettle black ???? Has anyone read US news lately
“The State Department document advises travelers to exercise caution in the Dominican Republic due to concerns regarding violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide, and sexual assault. The availability of weapons, illicit drug use and trafficking, and weaknesses in the criminal justice system are cited as contributing factors to the high crime rate in the country.”
CAC
June 12, 2023 2:43 pm
Reply to Italman
Sounds more like New York, Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles than Santiago….
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Chupacabra
June 8, 2023 1:56 am
our police is stopping people and hustling them for money …let’s fix that first …than we’ll worry about alerts …
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Paul Tierney
June 8, 2023 7:52 am
This is the usual and regular travel alert right out of the can the US publishes. It is nothing new. Travelers should take heed to the message by taking the same precautions as they would at home.
These alerts are intended to be useful to travelers but also have a political twist to signal foreign governments to better their public safety. These alerts are construed by some as sovereignty interference.
Should a mother be faulted about warning her children about playing in a troublesome neighborhood if they want to go there?
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bernie sierra
June 8, 2023 1:03 pm
Reply to Paul Tierney
You missed to explain how is the Dominican Republic danger to Americans traveling here. There are over 350K US citizens living in this country and over 2 million visited us yearly. Now let’s do the numbers. How many Americans are killed here in a year compare to let’s say Baltimore? If Americans were getting killed, assaulted, kidnapped or women were being raped here then we can understand the US government putting out this travel adviser level but that is not the case. More people are getting in Baltimore which is a small city than those Americans here in the Dominican Republic. And by the way, almost always that you read about an American getting killed here is because they got involved with drugs and prostitution. Another point is that the US of drug here is very controlled compare to that of the US where you can buy hard drugs and consume them almost anywhere on the streets, parks and other public places.
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Pedrin
June 8, 2023 9:37 am
A good portion of western Europe is also under the level 2 category.
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My Name Is Not Important
June 8, 2023 2:17 pm
Reply to Pedrin
Mainly because of terrorism. I still remembered what happened in Europe in the mid-2010’s.
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Pedrin
June 8, 2023 2:23 pm
Reply to My Name Is Not Important
Good point.
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CAC
June 12, 2023 2:43 pm
Won’t stop me from going regularly. This is simple: Don’t act like you are better than anyone, don’t flash cash or jewelry and don’t wonder into places that you don’t know. In short, don’t make yourself a target and you are likely going to be fine.
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