Caribbean island nation moves to extend border wall and expel migrants as violence and chaos plague its neighbor.
The Dominican Republic has announced a series of measures to strengthen border security and tighten migration controls in response to the escalating instability in neighboring Haiti.
President Luis Abinader stated on Sunday that security would be increased, despite calls for his country to relax its strict policies as Haitians seek refuge from the violence ravaging their nation.
“We will enhance border surveillance with 1,500 additional troops, in addition to the 9,500 already deployed,” the Dominican leader, who was re-elected last year on promises to crack down on immigration, said in a speech.
Abinader also revealed that he has approved the construction of a new section of the wall separating the two countries, which share the second-largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba.
The border between the two nations stretches over 300 kilometers (186 miles). About 54 kilometers (33 miles) of the border wall has already been completed.
The president said his latest order would “accelerate the construction of the border wall” to add an additional 13 kilometers (8 miles).
Legal reforms are also on the agenda, according to Abinader, with the aim of imposing harsher penalties to deter those who facilitate the entry and stay of immigrants in the country.
Abuse
The heightened border measures come as the Dominican Republic monitors the deepening crisis in Haiti.
Chaos erupted in Haiti last year as violence surged dramatically, leaving an alliance of gangs in control of most of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Despite the efforts of a Kenyan peacekeeping force, numbering approximately 1,000, the transitional government in Haiti has been unable—or unwilling—to curb the violence, which has seen a resurgence over the past month.
The United Nations reports that more than 5,600 people were killed in 2024 and that over one million people have been displaced, many seeking refuge in the neighboring Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic has responded with strict deportation policies, aiming to repatriate up to 10,000 Haitians per week in recent months.
This has led to reports of human rights abuses, with advocates urging countries across the Americas, particularly the United States and the Dominican Republic, to halt deportations due to the dire conditions awaiting people in Haiti.
Abinader, who won a second term in the May 2024 election that heavily focused on issues related to Haiti, has emphasized the need for stricter border and immigration controls while also calling for international assistance.
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