Dominican Republic Enforces its Laws, Deporting Haitians at Record Pace

FAIR Take | November 2024

During the current migration crisis, Americans have watched while hundreds of thousands of Haitians, even those who have already resettled elsewhere, have illegally entered the U.S. for economic opportunities. Biden-Harris Administration policies like the fraud-ridden CHNV parole program and the abuse of Temporary Protected Status have encouraged the flow of Haitians by allowing them to fly into the U.S. and shielding them from deportation once they are here. Communities like Springfield, Ohio, are reeling from the fiscal and social costs. But in the Dominican Republic, the only country with a land border with Haiti approaches to mass illegal Haitian migration have been remarkably different.

On October 2, the Dominican President, Luis Abinader, announced a massive immigration-enforcement effort targeting Haitians illegally in the country. Its goal is to deport 10,000 Haitians a week back across the border that divides the island of Hispaniola, doubling the number carried out in 2023 when 225,000 Haitians were deported. In just the first three weeks of October, the Dominican government expelled 28,000 illegal Haitian immigrants and logged the departure of another 9,000 who left the Dominican Republic voluntarily.

Like in the U.S., illegal Haitian migrants create significant costs in the Dominican Republic. In 2023, medical care for Haitian migrants comprised 12 percent of all Dominican public health system services. Part of this is driven by the high rate of tuberculosis (TB) in Haiti, which is 250 percent higher than the rate in the Dominican Republic. Illegal migrants from Haiti also undercut Dominican workers, who, on average, make much more in a variety of industries. Cross-border crime like cattle theft was reportedly common, and the endemic gang violence in Haiti threatens to spread wherever potential gang members mixed in with migrant waves may go.

The Dominican Republic is a relatively attractive and easy destination for Haitian migrants. Although the country may be poor by American standards, World Bank data show its gross domestic product (GDP) is six times higher than Haiti’s. Furthermore, its education system is stronger, as evidenced by the fact that 96 percent of Dominican adults are literate, compared to just 68 percent of Haitians. The “pull factors” of greater economic opportunities, better healthcare, and better education attract migration.

Given the relatively few resources available to its government, one might expect the Dominican Republic to struggle to control its borders. However, the Dominican government has responded to the surge of migrants from Haiti by rejecting this costly chaos rather than inviting it in and ignoring or downplaying the impact. In an interview with the BBC, President Abinader flatly refused to stop deportations to Haiti or to authorize refugee camps on Dominican territory. When asked if he was worried about the impact on his international reputation, he replied that his “reputation is applying the Constitution and the law.” After all, as he noted, applying the law and deporting illegal residents is what every country does. Or should do.

This deportation plan is being directed and managed by the Council of Security and National Defense, the Dominican equivalent of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). However, unlike DHS’s approach to our border crisis, the Dominican Republic’s government is combatting illegal immigration by enforcing laws already in place. In addition to enforcing existing laws, the Dominican Government is also constructing a 250-mile wall along its border, which has helped to minimize the disorder of its neighbor spilling across the border.

The United States also has a broad array of existing options to end our border crisis. Still, the Biden-Harris administration’s deliberate refusal to use them has let the crisis continue and even expand. The administration claims it needs Congress to act to get the situation under control. But the truth is, it needs only look to the Dominican Republic to see what is possible when a country takes border security and immigration law enforcement seriously.