Foreign Minister Andres Navarro confirmed the restart of deportations of illegal foreigners. As reported in El Caribe, he stated: “With the expiration of the National Foreigner Legalization Plan and the issuing of the credentials to those who registered, the ordinary application of the Immigration Law has been resumed. There is nothing extraordinary [in this process]. What was extraordinary was the Legalization Plan. We are now back to the ordinary situation.”
He noted that Article 37 of the Decree 327-13 that created the Legalization Plan (PNRE) established that deportations would be suspended during the implementation of the plan that expired on 17 June 2015. With the expiration of the PNRE, Law 285-04 on immigration is back into effect.
Nevertheless, around 300,000 persons who applied under the PNRE have been given up to two years to complete their application for residency.
The first illegal foreigners to be detained by government authorities were sent to the Centro de Acogida Vacacional Haina Detention Center, San Cristobal, to be processed for deportation. El Caribe reported a first group consisted of Haitians and an Israeli who was accused of document forgery.
El Caribe reported that the Haina center was visited by officials from the United Nations riding in two luxurious SUVs. The newspaper reporters observed that the officials did not leave their vehicles. When questioned by El Caribe reporters the UN officials said they were on a routine visit to verify the processes under the National Foreigner Legalization Plan (PNRE).
The Dominican authorities have insisted that all foreigners carry with them at all times their residence permits.
As reported in Hoy, on Saturday, 15 August 2015, the second day of the start of deportations, five Haitians were repatriated. US Ambassador James W. Brewster said that the repatriation procedures have respected human rights.