The Dominican Republic's Immigration Directorate announced that more than 276,000 individuals were deported in 2024. This significant number includes over 94,000 foreigners with irregular status who were deported in the last three months of the year alone.
The deportations were part of a new operation initiated to remove up to 10,000 undocumented Haitians per week. This operation was ordered by the Dominican Republic's National Security and Defense Council, led by President Luis Abinader.
Throughout the year, the Dominican authorities carried out deportations in various quarters. They deported 48,344 individuals from January to March, 62,446 from April to June, and 71,414 from July to September.
The government spokesperson, Homero Figueroa, stated that the increased deportations were aimed at addressing an 'excess' of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic, as the two countries share an island and have a history of informal migration across their shared border.
While the Dominican authorities maintain that the deportations are conducted in compliance with human rights, Haiti's then-Foreign Minister, Dominique Dupuy, criticized the deportations, condemning the 'brutal scenes of raids and deportations' and demanding justice for the 'dehumanizing acts' against Haitian nationals.
In October, Reuters captured footage showing migrants packed into caged law enforcement trucks en route to Haiti. Aid organizations have been providing assistance to the Haitian deportees on the border.
These mass deportations occur against the backdrop of a deteriorating political and social situation in Haiti, where gangs reportedly control over 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
