In the wake of increasing instability in Haitian neighboring country, the Dominican Republic announced a series of measures aimed at bolstering border security and fortifying controls on migration. President Luis Abinader, during a national speech on Sunday, highlighted the need for increased vigilance, as much as calls from various quarters called for easing the restrictions on Haitians fleeing persistent violence.
Abinader announced measures to tighten border security by sending an additional 1,500 troops, raising the number of soldiers patrolling the border to 11,000. The move is in line with his campaign promises during the election when he made immigration control a central agenda item.
The president also approved the building of a new section of the border wall, separating the two nations on the Caribbean island. Over 54 kilometers (33 miles) of the wall are now complete along the 300-kilometer (186-mile) border, with the intention of accelerating the building of an additional 13 kilometers (8 miles).
There are also legal reforms pending as Abinader has indicated tougher sanctions in an effort to deter those facilitating illegal migration to the Dominican Republic.
These increased security precautions are made at a time when the crisis in Haiti has worsened, with violence sharply increasing in the last year. Large areas of Port-au-Prince are in the grip of gangs, leaving the transitional government powerless to bring order back, despite being bolstered by a Kenyan peacekeeping mission involving about 1,000 troops.
United Nations reports claim that more than 5,600 individuals were brutally slaughtered in Haiti during the year 2024 alone and more than one million displaced, fleeing into asylum in the Dominican Republic. In response to this disaster, the government of the Dominican Republic has established strict deportation policies to combat repatriating up to 10,000 Haitians weekly.
These steps have triggered concerns over potential human rights abuses, prompting calls from activists for countries across the Americas, particularly the United States and the Dominican Republic, to halt deportations in the face of the desperate destiny that awaits returnees in Haiti.
Abinader, who was re-elected to a second term in the May 2024 elections, has reaffirmed the necessity of tight border and immigration controls while urging international aid to stem the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
