The world continues to pressure the Dominican Republic to unilaterally take on more of the heavy burden of the multidimensional crisis in Haiti. Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez recently stated at the National Security Council the complicity of the elite in Haiti that operate two private ports in Haiti and how the gangs are better fit with modern weaponry than the Haitian police. The weapons are known to come from the United States.
Left alone to deal with the turmoil in Haiti, last week, the Dominican government stepped up measures to reduce the Haitian migratory pressure. The government sent more soldiers to the border.
At the same time, the government sent another message to discourage Haitians from the free use of medical services in the Dominican Republic. For the first time in decades, the government began to restrict the free medical services offered to undocumented Haitians in the DR. The emergency services are to be provided, but the government says that once the person is recovered at the hospital, the deportation procedures would begin.
This would apply to birthing services, too. For decades, the Dominican public hospitals have covered birth services for Haitian women. Complaints among Dominicans are frequent. There are public hospitals on the border, in Santiago, the capital city and La Altagracia province (Punta Cana) that cater almost exclusively to Haitian women. These services are free, but highly costly to taxpayers and displace Dominican women.
Over the weekend, the UN Secetary General Antonio Guterres protested the new measures by the Dominican government. Likewise, Amnesty International. President Luis Abinader responded that Amnesty International should instead go work on violations of human rights in Haiti under the cruel control of the gangs with indifference or complicity of elite sectors in Haiti and abroad.
Meanwhile, in new developments, the government of Haiti showed off the new bus service for Haitians who want to return to Haiti. The transition Haitian Presidential Transition Council has protested the new measures and has called for talks.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations (Mirex) issued a statement on Thursday, 24 April 2025, in response to Haiti’s Presidential Transition Council (CPT), asserting that “no nation can or should relinquish its right to protect its territorial integrity.”
The Dominican authorities emphasized the country’s willingness to collaborate with Haiti while reiterating that every nation has the right to take necessary measures to safeguard peace, stability, and peaceful coexistence within its borders.
Furthermore, Mirex stated that the Dominican Republic has adopted its current migration policy in response to the rising crisis in Haiti. The potential for the violence affecting the neighboring nation to spill over into Dominican territory represents a “very serious real threat,” requiring a “decisive and responsible” response, says the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
The statement also emphasized that the repatriation of Haitians with irregular migration status is conducted “within the law, adhering to established procedures.”
“The Dominican Republic will continue to combat human trafficking networks and illicit migrant smuggling operations that violate the rights of the most vulnerable and perpetuate cycles of violence and exploitation. At the same time, it reiterates its commitment to maintaining open, respectful, and solution-oriented dialogue with Haitian authorities and relevant intergovernmental institutions,” the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Relations reads.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General Office has issued new instructions for the investigations into illicit trafficking of people, mainly from Haiti.
Diario Libre, in an editorial, doubts the DR will be able to maintain the highly costly measures to contain Haitian migration. At the same time, another editorial urges the government to crack down on local mafias that enable irregular migration to happen.
The Attorney General Office last week announced new measures to seize assets of individuals and their accomplices caught people smuggling.
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28 April 2025