The Dominican Republic will further strengthen its border with Haiti, to slow down illegal immigration

The Dominican Republic has announced surveillance measures “stricter” And the increase in police operations at its border with Haiti, Sunday, February 23. The Caribbean country wants to try to curb illegal migration from its neighbor, ravaged by the violence of the gangs. The Dominican president, Luis Abinader, hardened his migration policy with regard to Haiti since his coming to power in 2020, with the construction of a border wall and massive evictions which reached 276,000 in 2024.

Since October, 142,378 Haitians have been expelled, according to the Directorate General of Migration (DGM). “More vehicles and technological resources for the repatriation of undocumented migrants” will still be deployed, said the director of migration, Luis Lee Ballester, in a press release. “The new provisions will aim to strengthen border surveillance and optimize entry controls”. About 500,000 Haitian immigrants live in the Dominican Republic, a country of 10.5 million inhabitants.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, began to erect a separation wall in 2021 for “Protect yourself” illegal immigration, Haitian violence and smuggling, and has announced its additional 12 km extension this week, bringing its length to just over 170 km.

The barrier must extend over more than half of the 340 kilometers of the border between the two countries. The latest official figures dating from November 2024 claimed that the first phase of the project was 80%completed. Luis Abinader, re -elected in 2024, had promised during his first mandate to continue, in a second phase, the construction of the wall in mountainous areas, where the number of crossings of the border increases.