(Reuters) – The Dominican Republic’s presidential office yesterday announced an “immediate” plan to deport up to 10,000 migrants per week, as the Caribbean island nation ramps up border enforcement with its conflict-hit neighbour Haiti.
The announcement did not specify that the plan will target Haitians, but nationals from its neighbour have made up the vast majority of its deportees.
If implemented, the plan would mark a significant ramp up to deportations after over 200,000 Haitian migrants were forcibly returned last year, according to U.N. data.
In its statement, the president’s office pointed to the slow progress and “limited” results of a U.N.-backed security mission sent to help Haitian police retake control of the capital from the growing presence of armed gangs.
“Faced with this reality, we’re forced to act decisively and responsibly to guarantee the security and stability of our country,” presidential spokesperson Homero Figueroa said in the statement.
The United Nations has repeatedly called on countries in the region, including the Dominican Republic and United States, to halt deportations to Haiti where severe hunger has soared, now affecting nearly half the population of around 11 million.
The number of Haitians internally displaced has close to doubled in six months, surpassing 700,000, as gangs expand to areas around the capital.
The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, accounted for 96% of deported Haitians last year.