Dominican Government Sends Troops to Haitian Border.
| Autor | Giron, Crosby |
The Dominican Republic's defense ministry, the Ministerio de Defensa, sent 641 soldiers to secure the Haitian border on Jan. 23 with the aim of preventing "undocumented aliens," specifically undocumented Haitian immigrants, from entering the country.
Defense Minister Ruben Dario Paulino Sem told the local press that the Army had sent 291 soldiers to Dajabon; 150 to Elias Pina; 100 to Jimani, and another 100 to Pedernales.
According to Paulino Sem, the strategy has worked, because the number of Haitians who've been repatriated as they tried to cross the border has tripled. He added that the Dominican immigration authorities have deported more than 5,000 undocumented immigrants in various provinces "following the necessary proceedings."
The deployment of troops and the statements made by Paulino Sem followed a plea to politicians by Sigfrido Pared Perez, director of the country's investigation agency, the Departamento Nacional de Investigacion (DNI), to prioritize security at the border with Haiti as a key step towards improving national security.
Pared Perez also said that allocating the necessary resources to develop the economy of the border area should be a key concern and part of the border security strategy. He said it was regrettable that residents of border areas are forced to emigrate to the eastern part of the island in search of better living conditions.
Pared Perez said that when Dominicans abandon their homes along the border in search of better living conditions elsewhere, they leave behind ghost towns that become attractive destinations for Haitian immigrants who are also seeking a better life (NotiCen, March 19, 2015, Sept. 10, 2015, June 2, 2016).
Securing the border and mass expulsions
In late December 2017, the defense ministry relaunched Operacion Escudo (Operation Shield) along the border to prevent the entry of undocumented immigrants during the New Year celebrations. It is common for thousands of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic without documentation to return to Haiti in December to spend the Christmas holidays with their families and then travel back to the Dominican Republic.
Human smuggling, arms traffic, drug traffic, and the traffic of endangered species is common along the almost 400-km-long Haitian-Dominican border. Dominican authorities have also voiced their concern regarding other border problems, such as timber logging, one of the means used by impoverished Haitian families to make coal, which is...
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