The Migration Agency has kept the pressure on and for the first time this 2025 has been stopping all sorts of transporters and people traffickers assisting Haitians in their travel to the Dominican Republic. In the past, the military and the Migration Agency would have looked the other way. Recently, El Nacional reported a bus was detained with 77 undocumented Haitian nationals.
Given the increasing migration pressures, the number of arrests by the local authorities is on the rise. SUV, trucks and buses of all sizes are being stopped several times a week, with the undocumented Haitians arrested for deportation. The effort comes at a very high cost to Dominican taxpayers.
Hospital services demand on the decline
The pressures and arrests have resulted in a decline in the number of Haitians requesting the free services at public hospitals. The DR was on the way to reaching 40% of births in public hospitals to be of Haitian mothers, most undocumented. The new policy in effect is to provide the service and then once the person has recovered, the person is sent to the Migration Agency for deportation to Haiti.
Social and Economic Council talks to begin
The effort to reduce the migratory pressure is ongoing at a time when the Social and Economic Council is meeting to look into future measures to deal with the Haitian crisis and the violence in Haiti. Local business people are advocating for the Dominican government to reduce the legal requirements for Haitians to legalize their status here, which means that legal documentation from Haiti (passport) no longer be required. There is concern this would lead to an increase in Haitian migration.
Esta Noche con Mariasela
In Esta Noche con Mariasela talk show on Tuesday, 10 June 2025, the regularization of undocumented Haitians and the proposal of the National Business Council to get around the failure of Haiti to issue passports to its nationals and instead rely on the use biometric systems to provide these with identity was analyzed.
Former Colombian President Duque on DR and Haiti
In a late development, former President of Colombia Ivan Duque spoke up to say the Dominican Republic had already paid beyond its quota of solidarity with Haiti, when speaking during the American Chamber of Commerce luncheon, as reported in El Caribe.
Read more in Spanish:
CDN
El Nacional
El Dia
Hoy
Esta Noche con Mariasela
El Caribe
El Caribe
11 June 2025