The director general of the Migration Agency, Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, revealed that between 2016 and April 2025, the Dominican Republic has deported a total of over 1.1 million irregular migrants, with 114,884 of those cases occurring in 2025 alone. The deportations come at a high cost to the Dominican Republic. Making the issue more serious, Minister of Foreign Relations Roberto Alvarez has said the border, nevertheless, is a revolving door, meaning that a very large number of those deported return in a short time.
During a conference titled “The Migratory Reality of the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti,” organized by the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) and the Senate’s Foreign Relations and Migration Committee, Ballester stated that Haitian immigration poses the country’s primary migratory challenge, as reported in N Digital.
Ballester asserted that the Dominican state is obligated to protect its borders by strengthening migration control, improving existing legislation, and encouraging Dominican citizens to integrate into productive sectors.
He warned that Haiti’s profound political, social, and economic crisis has generated a sustained migratory flow that directly impacts Dominican public services. “Irregular immigration places significant strain on the health system, the prison system, public education, national security, and regional stability,” he emphasized.
Despite the high number of deportations, Ballester clarified that not all Haitians in Dominican territory are in an irregular situation. He highlighted that 206,073 Haitian nationals had requested regularization since the National Foreigners Regularization Plan (PNRE) in 2014 and said these hold valid residency and work permits.
Finally, Ballester noted that migration is not only a national but also a regional challenge, necessitating stronger international cooperation and structural solutions at the root of the problem.
For decades, the Dominican Republic has been the “escape valve” for the multidimensional crisis in Haiti. Nevertheless, the continuing worsening of the security situation in Haiti has revved up the migratory pressures and is leading the Dominican government to instate new checks and restrictions to contain Haitian migration and enhance local security.
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N Digital
30 April 2025