Dominican immigration to prosecute those who obstruct operations

Dominican immigration authorities are taking a firm stance against those who impede their operations, with Director Luis Rafael Lee Ballester vowing to prosecute individuals who obstruct interdiction efforts, assault personnel, or facilitate the stay of irregular foreigners.

Ballester announced that legal cases are being initiated against Dominican citizens who interfere with migration operations. He made these remarks during the graduation ceremony for 300 new rapid reaction agents. The crackdown also targets individuals who rent out properties to undocumented migrants.

In a broader effort against human trafficking networks, Ballester reported that 425 individuals have been prosecuted for this crime, some of whom were DGM employees. These cases are developed in collaboration with the Public Ministry, supported by intelligence gathering and public tips. When questioned about a small number of convictions in human trafficking cases, Ballester deferred judgment on the judiciary, stating his role is not to critique other branches of government, but he affirmed his commitment to combating irregular migration, human trafficking, and smuggling.

The DGM has maintained a daily average of at least 1,000 detained and deported foreigners over the past two years. Ballester stated that over 705,000 foreigners have been deported during his tenure, with nearly 228,000 deportations occurring this year. He also refuted claims that immigration actions are solely directed at Haitians, emphasizing that interdictions apply to any foreigner residing in the country irregularly, regardless of nationality. The addition of 300 new agents will increase the DGM's operational force to approximately 1,500, enabling expanded interdiction operations across all 31 provinces and the National District.