Dominican Republic Deports 250,000 Undocumented Migrants in 2026, Majority Are Haitian Men

The Dominican Republic's Directorate General of Migration (DGM) has reported deporting 250,429 undocumented foreigners in 2026. The majority of those deported were Haitian men, representing 76.92% of the total, while women accounted for 23.08%.

In total, 143,182 men and 42,957 women of Haitian nationality were deported this year. A significant number of processed foreigners, 74,948, were concentrated in Haina, followed by Dajabón, Elías Piña, and Santiago. These figures encompass 186,139 deportations and 64,290 formal repatriations, conducted in coordination with military and state security agencies.

To manage migratory flows, especially during binational markets, the DGM has reinforced border controls. Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, director general of Migration, announced the installation of a container office at the Dajabón border crossing. This facility will enhance biometric records using facial recognition for Haitian citizens authorized to enter during trade days. The system is in its final evaluation phase, employing AI-powered technology to validate identities and prevent unauthorized access.

The DGM also maintains binational follow-up operations with civilian and military authorities along alternate routes used by human trafficking networks to circumvent border security. These measures aim to control migratory movements and combat irregular entries.

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The habilitation of this technological system is in its final evaluation phase and connected fleets have been acquired that allow validation of the identification of the person attempting to access with artificial intelligence tools.