It should not be news, but it is. The new authorities at the Army and the Migration Agency continue to uncover people smuggling operations of undocumented from Haiti. Since October 2024, some 86 persons have been charged with people smuggling, Listin Diario reports.
The new push occurred after the Abinader administration reacted to the lack of action in Haiti to stem the mass migration or improve the conditions for Haitians in Haiti.
Listin Diario reports that the Dominican Republic’s military has arrested 86 individuals on human trafficking charges following a series of immigration operations conducted throughout September and October, citing a military source.
These arrests were made during patrols in various provinces, where authorities apprehended a total of 16,255 undocumented migrants in October alone. The detained individuals were caught transporting undocumented foreigners in motorcycles, trucks, SUVs, cars, and other vehicles.
A significant portion of these arrests, specifically 48 individuals, occurred in the provinces of Azua, Elías Piña, and San Juan de la Maguana, which fall under the jurisdiction of the 3rd Brigade. Meanwhile, the 4th Brigade, responsible for Dajabón, Montecristi, Santiago Rodríguez, and Valverde, reported 28 arrests. In the 5th Brigade’s area of operation, encompassing Barahona and Independencia, authorities apprehended and turned over 10 individuals to the judicial authorities.
All those arrested have been presented to the Public Ministry to face charges related to human trafficking.
These are new actions of the military to curb illegal migration into the Dominican Republic. For years, complaints had been made that there was a major business network with the complicity of the authorities behind the mass influx of undocumented Haitians.
Over the weekend, reports were that 83 undocumented Haitians and a Dominican were arrested in a hotel in Las Matas de Santa Cruz in Montecristi province in the Northwest. Hotels are used as intermediate points where the undocumented persons are taken before they reach their final intended destination. The suspected Dominican trafficker was identified as Diógenes Rafael Vásquez, who was sent to the justice for presentation of charges. The undocumented Haitians were sent to the Migration Agency for deportation proceedings.
The Miami Herald reported that once the Dominican Republic began to deport Haitians in significant numbers, authorities in the United States did the same, resuming air flights to return Haitian nationals to their country.
Meanwhile, news reports from the US Coast Guard report that 47 migrants headed to Puerto Rico were returned from attempted boat people from the Dominican Republic.
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Listin Diario
Listin Diario
El Dia
Homeland Security
DR1 News
5 November 2024