Dimitri Vorbe, a name that resonates across Haiti’s business and political landscape, has once again found himself at the center of controversy. On September 23, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested the powerful Haitian businessman at his Florida residence, whisking him away to the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami. As of September 24, he remains in custody, with the reasons for his detention shrouded in mystery. The story, as reported by multiple outlets including Hindustan Times, The Seattle Times, and Times Now News, has sent ripples through both the Haitian diaspora and international observers.
Vorbe is not just any businessman; he is the head of Société Générale d’Énergie S.A. (SOGENER), one of Haiti’s most influential private electricity generation, transmission, and distribution companies. Based in Port-au-Prince, SOGENER has long been a backbone of Haiti’s energy sector and a frequent subject of government scrutiny. The Vorbe family’s reach extends beyond energy, with involvement in major construction projects during the tenure of former President René Préval, including road building and other critical infrastructure works.
This is not the first time Vorbe has faced legal trouble in the United States. In August 2020, ICE detained him in Florida over visa violations—a case that ended with his release on bail. But the current detention feels different, not least because of the charged political and legal context surrounding Vorbe and his family in Haiti. Over the past several years, the Haitian government has accused the Vorbes of corruption, money laundering, and financial irregularities tied to public electricity contracts. In 2020, the administration of then-President Jovenel Moïse seized SOGENER’s assets and froze the family’s property, following a court order by Haitian Judge Mathieu Chanlatte. That move, which many saw as a dramatic escalation in the government’s efforts to rein in Haiti’s oligarchs, left the Vorbes and their associates reeling.
Jake Johnston, international research director at the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), offered a blunt assessment of the situation to The Seattle Times: “Both Boulos and Dimitri Vorbe were the two members of the elite, the oligarchs that Jovenel went after.” Johnston was referring to Pierre Réginald Boulos, another Haitian businessman and political power broker, who was also arrested by ICE in Florida in August 2025. According to ICE, Boulos was detained for “violating the Immigration and Nationality Act contributing to the destabilization of Haiti.” The parallel arrests of Boulos and Vorbe have not gone unnoticed in Haiti, where public opinion about the country’s elite is, to put it mildly, divided.
“There is not much love lost in Haiti either for Dimitri Vorbe or Réginald Boulos, or many of the elite families,” Johnston noted. He added, “Many people will cheer it in a country with a broken judicial system as it’s some sliver of accountability, (but) we don’t know what any of this is for. … How does this all fit together into a strategy that actually benefits Haiti?”
Vorbe’s relationship with the Haitian government has been nothing short of contentious. In August 2018, after a heated exchange on social media over the alleged misuse of Petrocaribe funds, Vorbe was summoned by Haiti’s Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. By October 2019, the government had hired lawyers to scrutinize and potentially renegotiate contracts with electricity suppliers, including SOGENER. Vorbe twice refused to heed summons from the Port-au-Prince Public Prosecutor’s Office, reportedly citing threats, which led to an arrest warrant. Employers’ associations in Haiti condemned these moves as politically motivated. With the pressure mounting, Vorbe fled into exile in December 2019.
His current detention comes at a time when the U.S. government has offered no formal charges or public statements regarding the nature of his arrest. According to Times Now News, ICE records confirm that Vorbe is being held at the Krome North facility, but the agency has yet to clarify the specific reasons behind his detention. This lack of transparency has fueled speculation among observers and left many wondering whether the arrest is tied to previous allegations in Haiti, U.S. immigration issues, or something else entirely.
Journalist Michael Deibert, author of Haiti Will Not Perish: A Recent History, put the situation in stark terms: “With the arrests of Boulos and Vorbe, you are seeing a strata of Haitian society touched in their places of exile.” He continued, “A message is being sent to the upper echelon of Haiti’s political and economic elite that they’re not untouchable anymore.” For decades, Haiti’s business elite have often operated with a sense of impunity, both at home and abroad. The recent arrests suggest that this era of invulnerability may be coming to an end—or at least facing new challenges.
Despite the gravity of these developments, details remain scarce. U.S. authorities have not issued formal charges against Vorbe as of September 24, 2025. The lack of official information has left the Haitian community in the U.S. and back home in Port-au-Prince on edge. For some, Vorbe’s detention is a long-overdue reckoning for a man seen as emblematic of Haiti’s deeply entrenched problems with corruption and elite privilege. For others, it is yet another example of politically motivated targeting, with little hope that it will address Haiti’s underlying issues.
The Vorbe family’s saga is intertwined with Haiti’s tumultuous recent history. Their company, SOGENER, was once celebrated as a key player in bringing electricity to millions. But as political winds shifted and accusations mounted, their fortunes changed. In the aftermath of the asset seizures and legal battles, SOGENER’s role in Haiti’s energy sector has diminished, but the controversy surrounding its leadership has only grown.
As the world waits for more information, one thing is clear: the arrest of Dimitri Vorbe is more than just a legal matter. It’s a flashpoint in the ongoing struggle over power, accountability, and justice in Haiti. Whether this latest development will lead to meaningful change or simply more questions remains to be seen. For now, all eyes are on Miami—and on the next chapter in the unfolding story of one of Haiti’s most controversial figures.
