Leah Campos pledges focus on migration, counter‑cartel work and limiting Chinese influence if confirmed as ambassador to the Dominican Republic
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Summary
Leah Campos, President Trump’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic, emphasized border security, anti‑drug cooperation, and countering Chinese influence in the hemisphere; senators asked about Haiti, the upcoming Summit of the Americas and mission morale after a four‑year vacancy.
Leah Campos, nominated to be U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee she would prioritize border security, disruption of drug cartels, and countering the People’s Republic of China’s influence in the Western Hemisphere if confirmed.
"If confirmed, my primary focus as ambassador will be to advance President Trump and Secretary Rubio's foreign policy priorities of ensuring a safer, stronger, and more prosperous United States," Campos said in her opening statement. She highlighted long‑standing people‑to‑people links, citing that more than 2,000,000 Americans of Dominican heritage live in the United States and that bilateral trade totals more than $30,000,000,000 annually, with a U.S. trade surplus she described at about $5,500,000,000.
Senators questioned Campos about regional instability in Haiti and about the Dominican Republic’s role as host for the Summit of the Americas. Senator Tim Kaine, among others, asked how the Dominican Republic and the United States might work together to address instability in Haiti. Campos said she would coordinate closely with the U.S. mission in Port‑au‑Prince, with the Dominican government and with the committee to seek policy options while deferring to the administration on any specific course of action. "We already have a really strong relationship across the anti‑drug trafficking, anti‑criminality operations," she said, and she noted the U.S. mission in the Dominican Republic has lacked an ambassador for roughly four years.
On Chinese influence in the region, Campos said countering the "malign influence" of the Chinese Communist Party would be a priority. She also noted mission morale and professional growth of first‑ and second‑tour officers would be a priority if she were confirmed.
Discussion vs. decision: the session was a nomination hearing and question period; no committee vote occurred during the transcript. Campos repeatedly pledged to work with the committee and the administration and to follow up on specific requests.
Ending: Senators said they would rely on the nominee to re‑energize the bilateral relationship and to help prepare for the Summit of the Americas; the committee left the record open for additional questions.
