As Haiti remains mired in an unprecedented security and institutional crisis, thousands of Haitian nationals continue to be deported from Dominican territory.
In May 2025 alone, the Dominican Republic’s army (ERD) handed over 16,501 undocumented Haitian migrants to the General Directorate of Migration (DGM) as part of ongoing repatriation operations.
These operations, carried out daily by military units, have intensified particularly in several border provinces including Dajabón, San Juan, Elías Piña, and Pedernales. Simultaneously, 55 individuals were prosecuted for offenses related to migrant smuggling, according to the Dominican daily Diario Libre.
The figures highlight the scale of immigration control measures in the Dominican Republic, where the military now plays a central role in the apprehension of undocumented Haitian migrants.
The process has become systematic: arrests in the field, transfer to detention centers, and handover to immigration authorities for deportation.
While Dominican authorities emphasize the legality of these actions, several human rights organizations have condemned the harshness of the arrests, the conditions of detention, and the lack of procedural safeguards. The absence of a clear bilateral framework for managing returns only deepens concerns.
From the Haitian side, there has been silence. No official statements have been made by the relevant authorities regarding these mass deportations. Worse still, there are no reception systems, registration mechanisms, or assistance programs in place. Most deportees are left without resources, sometimes abandoned in areas controlled by armed groups.
This institutional neglect fuels a deep sense of abandonment among citizens who fled poverty, violence, and a lack of opportunity.
Many, expelled without support or follow-up, have no choice but to attempt the journey again—risking exploitation or facing rejection once more.
Haitians in the Dominican Republic are not the only ones facing hostility abroad. In the United States, over 320,000 Haitian nationals who benefit from the Biden-era humanitarian parole program are under threat of deportation, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal judge’s order halting the administration’s efforts to revoke their legal status under the CHNV program.
Meanwhile, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants is set to expire in two months. The Trump administration is expected to announce within the next 24 hours whether it plans to renew the program.
If TPS is revoked, more than 600,000 Haitians could face deportation from the United States—adding to the thousands already at risk of removal from the Dominican Republic on a daily basis.
