In an interview with El Despertador, the morning talk show on Channel 9, Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez spoke of the “revolving door” for Haitian migration. He described the smuggling of people as treason. He says people-smuggling mafias have operated here for decades and have the channels and routes to promptly bring back the thousands of people the government spends billions on deporting. Over the past six months, the Dominican government has deported 180,047 Haitians. Most of these are likely to have returned.
During the interview, Alvarez suggested that those who protest irregular migration demand the passing of bills to effectively crack down on people smuggling mafias. Alvarez says the bill would contain measures to send people smugglers to jail and requirements for the military to be demoted of their rank. He did not mention economic fines, such as the seizing of the vehicles. The media reports almost every day of smugglers caught red-handed with the Haitian undocumented migrants packed in SUVs and other vehicles. Reports are that a single trip generates profits of around RD$200,000 for the smugglers.
There are multiple media reports denouncing repeat people smugglers.
Roberto Alvarez said on TV: “We have to put our house in order. President Abinader is in agreement… but the mafias…” “Culturally, these mafias are not easy to eliminate,” admitted Alvarez, he acknowledged.
He gave the background on the people smuggling mafias: “Starting with the intergovernmental contracts between the Dominican government and the Haitian government to bring sugar cane workers, under which thousands of Haitian citizens were brought in to work in the sugar fields, that’s where these middlemen developed on both sides, working to bring those thousands of cutters, those laborers. When those contracts ended, I believe the last one was under the government of Antonio Guzmán, if I remember correctly, the Dominican economy evolved and began to grow in other sectors, but those middlemen continued their trafficking until today. These are mafias that need to be broken, and it’s not easy.”
“They’ve had these connections for decades—decades and decades, if not more. We have to cut this off completely, once and for all,” the minister insisted. He says legislation has been worked on but is pending to be passed in Congress. He suggested protesters motivate this to happen so there are consequences effective enough to deter the smugglers.
Follow the story in Spanish:
El Despertador – Min 40:00
Diario Libre
Jose Peguero
3 April 2025