PCT rejects U.S. access to Dominican military and airport facilities

Santo Domingo.- The Communist Party of Labor (PCT) issued a strong statement rejecting the Dominican government’s decision to allow the United States Armed Forces access to restricted areas of the San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport (AILA) for anti–drug trafficking operations. The authorization, formalized on Wednesday, was deemed by the party as harmful to national sovereignty and a potential source of regional instability, especially given current tensions involving Cuba and Venezuela.

According to the PCT, permitting a foreign military power to use critical national infrastructure constitutes a “violation of Dominican sovereignty,” arguing that the nation’s security and territorial control must remain exclusively in Dominican hands. The organization also warned of “regional risk,” noting that U.S. military activity in the Caribbean could exceed counter-narcotics objectives and place the Dominican Republic in a position of indirect confrontation with other countries in the region.

The party urged the government to immediately revoke the authorization and instead pursue cooperation agreements based on sovereignty, non-intervention, and international law. It stressed that the fight against drug trafficking should be conducted through respectful bilateral or multilateral coordination and through the strengthened capabilities of Dominican institutions.