EXCLUSIVE: Dominican Government Signs New $1.8 Million Deal With DGA Group for U.S. Outreach on Human Rights and Haiti
The Dominican Republic's Ministry of the Presidency has signed a new contract worth RD$109.6 million, or about $1.8 million, with the Washington advisory firm DGA Group for help with U.S. officials, the media and American human rights rules, according to a Justice Department filing reviewed by The Digital Free Press.
The contract was filed with the Justice Department's Foreign Agents Registration Act unit on Oct. 28, 2026, as an exhibit to DGA Group's registration. The Digital Free Press found no news report on the new contract as of Saturday night.
What the DGA Group Contract Covers
According to the filing, DGA Group Government Relations will "research, identify and advocate for human rights best practices" for the ministry and support its outreach to "U.S. government officials, thought leaders, and the media."
The scope goes further than communications. The firm will "advise on measures to combat human trafficking and smuggling" and provide "consultancy and support to Dominican public security forces on applying international human rights standards in connection with U.S. security-assistance vetting requirements (including the Leahy Amendment)." The Leahy laws bar U.S. aid to foreign security units credibly linked to gross human rights violations.
The firm will also advise on diplomatic efforts "to encourage international support for the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) or related initiatives concerning Haiti," and may do similar work for other Dominican ministries, including Foreign Affairs. DGA Group told the Justice Department the work may include "public relations counseling, lobbying, and the preparation and dissemination of informational materials."
No Competition, a National Security Exception
The Spanish-language contract attached to the filing, numbered MINPRE-2026-0002, says Minister of the Presidency José Ignacio Paliza requested the services on March 31, 2026. On Aug. 17, the ministry's public procurement committee ordered that the contract be handled through an "exception" procedure for national security, and it invited a proposal from a single provider. The committee awarded the contract to DGA Group on Sept. 18.
The contract sets a price of RD$109,612,181, taxes included, paid in monthly installments of RD$9,134,348.41, in Dominican pesos. It runs 12 months, from Sept. 28, 2026, to Sept. 28, 2027. The dollar figure in this article is based on Friday's exchange rate of about 61 pesos to the dollar.
Paliza signed for the government. José Miguel Vivanco, a DGA Group partner and the former Americas director of the international human rights group HRW, signed for the firm, according to the notarized copy dated Sept. 28 in Santo Domingo. DGA Group's filing lists the agreement date as Oct. 16.
A Renewal of Last Year's Deal
The filing describes itself as an update to DGA Group's existing agreement with the ministry. In June 2025, Dominican outlet Diario Libre reported that the government had hired DGA Group under an RD$102.9 million contract covering security, drug trafficking, migration policy, human rights and human trafficking, with Vivanco representing the firm. The new contract's price is about 6.5% higher in pesos.
Dominican media reported at the time that the earlier contract came as the country faced international criticism over its deportations of Haitians. The new contract specifically names U.S. security-assistance vetting under the Leahy laws and the multinational security mission in Haiti.
Sources: DGA Group, FARA Exhibit A/B for Ministerio de la Presidencia de la República Dominicana, received Oct. 28, 2026 (Registration No. 7321): https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7321-Exhibit-AB-20261028-1.pdf ; Diario Libre, "Conoce los detalles del acuerdo entre el Ministerio de la Presidencia y DGA Group" (June 26, 2025): https://www.diariolibre.com/usa/actualidad/2025/06/26/dga-group-la-empresa-contratada-por-rd-hace-lobby-en-ee-uu/3163800 ; "El Gobierno contrata a empresa para asesoría por crisis haitiana y relaciones con EE. UU." (June 2025, as republished by NJ Productora): https://www.njproductora.com/noticias/nacionales/12206-el-gobierno-contrata-a-empresa-para-asesor%C3%ADa-por-crisis-haitiana-y-relaciones-con-ee-uu ; exchange rate: https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD (Oct. 31, 2026). Cover photo: Palacio Nacional by -wuppertaler via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
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