What’s Next For A Crackdown For Haitian Migrants

Dominican President Luis Abinader Migrants declared that “the best is yet to come” in a patriotic speech delivered over the weekend.

However, despite talking about constitutional changes and economic prosperity, one of the most well-liked leaders in the area conspicuously omitted the situation in neighboring Haiti.

Although the Dominican Republic has long maintained a strict policy towards Haitian migrants, in recent years, as the country’s gang violence has spiralled out of control, more people have been fleeing to the Dominican Republic.

According to analysts like Michael Shifter, a senior fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, Abinader has exploited the crisis to “play on people’s fears” in order to further his political agenda.

Shifter stated that the vast majority of Dominicans think Abinader has done a fantastic job, so they’re not willing to take a chance on someone else. “His very hard-line, nationalistic posture on Haiti, while it’s not the only reason he won, has lifted and cemented his political support.”

What will happen to the neighbors now that Abinader is set to take office for a further four years and Haiti’s transitional government is working to restore order? Some people think Abinader will change his mind.

The Dominican Republic and Haiti share the island of Hispaniola, but since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021, Haiti has spiraled into chaos and gang warfare. The government of Abinader has deported at least 175,000 Haitians who were fleeing a crisis and constructed a wall along its 250-mile border with Haiti.