Dominican Republic Plans to Start Deporting up to 10,000 Haitians per Week

Haitians wait to cross the border from Haiti into the Dominican Republic in Dajabon, Dominican Republic, on Nov. 19, 2021. Matias Delacroix/AP Photo

Government officials of the Dominican Republic have announced plans to start deporting Haitians living illegally in the country, potentially expelling up to 10,000 or more per week.

In Oct. 2 statements, government spokesman Homero Figueroa said the decision was based on the large number of Haitian migrants living illegally in the Dominican Republic. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located on the same island, Hispaniola.

“This operation aims to reduce the excessive migrant populations detected in Dominican communities,” he said.

According to Figueroa, the deportations would start immediately and have a strict focus on ensuring “respect for human rights.”

In the past, activists and observers have criticized the administration of current Dominican President Luis Abinader for alleged human rights violations against Haitians and those of Haitian descent born in the country. Abinader and his administration have denied any wrongdoing. He said in previous speeches at the United Nations that his country is bearing the downstream burdens of the humanitarian crisis in Haiti without much help from the rest of the world.

Figueroa said authorities are also planning to strengthen border surveillance and border entry point security. He did not share specific details about what that might include.

According to Figueroa, the decision to start mass expulsions of Haitians is a result of the international community’s “slowness” in restoring stability in Haiti.

He said Dominican Republic government officials had noted a large increase in Haitian migrants as the U.N. Security Council’s Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti has yet to restore order.

Haiti declared a state of emergency on March 3 as instances of home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and murder increased beyond what local police could handle. The U.N. said in a June report that gang violence in Haiti had reached “alarming levels.”

Violence in the country escalated significantly after former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021. Prime Minister Ariel Henry came to power soon after and postponed elections, governing without a constitutional mandate or any other elected officials until he resigned in April.

In May, a transitional council appointed interim Prime Minister Garry Conille to lead Haiti.

A Kenyan-led MSS sent a contingent of 400 police officers to Haiti on June 25, followed by a second group of 200 officers on July 16.

Gangs in Haiti still control about 80 percent of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. It’s estimated nearly 700,000 Haitians have been made homeless, and many more thousands have fled the country to escape the violence.

Haiti has called for the MSS mission to be transformed into a peacekeeping operation to boost its capabilities and secure more stable funding. However, the 15 member countries on the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Oct. 1 to only renew each member state’s MSS mission to Haiti for another 12 months, after efforts to make it a peacekeeping mission were vetoed by China and Russia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.