On Wednesday, October 2nd, the Dominican Republic announced plans to expel up to 10,000 undocumented Haitian migrants per week, a decision driven by mounting concerns over gang violence and instability in neighboring Haiti. The move, confirmed by Dominican presidential spokesman Homero Figueroa, comes amid growing frustration over the international community’s slow response to Haiti’s escalating humanitarian crisis.
The Dominican government cited the overwhelming number of Haitian migrants, estimated at nearly half a million, as the reason for this drastic measure. President Luis Abinader’s administration aims to regain control over the situation, increasing surveillance along the shared border. Many Haitians are fleeing extreme poverty and violent gang activity in Port-au-Prince, which has displaced over 700,000 people within Haiti. The United Nations recently reported that more than 3,600 people have been killed in the country this year due to gang violence.
Despite these efforts, the planned mass expulsions have drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups, who argue that the move amounts to persecution based on race. Critics have accused the Dominican government of racial profiling, with reports that even Dominicans of Haitian descent or those with darker skin tones have been caught in the deportation efforts. This has raised concerns about family separations and the deportation of individuals with valid immigration documentation.
The UN and other international organizations have repeatedly called for an end to forced returns to Haiti, given the ongoing violence and severe food insecurity affecting more than five million people in the country. However, President Abinader has warned that unless the international community acts decisively to stabilize Haiti, his government will continue with these deportations.
With the Haitian government struggling to combat gang control, the situation remains dire. A UN-backed Kenyan-led security force has been deployed to Haiti, but it has had limited success in restoring order. The Dominican Republic, in response to these challenges, is doubling down on its strict immigration enforcement, further straining relations between the two countries.
