The Dominican Republic, under President Luis Abinader’s order, is deporting Haitian immigrants at an alarming rate. Haitians are speaking out about the allgedly degrading way they are being treated due to the hard-line stance on deportation.
The AP reported on conditions at the small border town of Belladère, between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island of Hispaniola is shared by both countries and serves as the route for returning Haitians to their homeland.
While it is within the country’s rights to deport illegal and undocumented immigrants, the alleged harsh methods are being questioned by observers and the deportees themselves.
Odelyn St. Fleur, a 20-year resident of the Dominican Republic, told NBC
News reporters about an early morning raid at his home.“They broke down my door at 4 in the morning,” he said.
Jimmy Milien, a father of two, said he received harsh words when being corralled toward the border. According to Milien, he was referred to as a “devil Haitian.”
The situation is troubling for Fleur, who worked as a mason. Milien, 32, is on his second deportation. He reentered the country illegally once before but is skeptical it will be as easy this time due to President Abinader’s determination to tighten security and finalize a 250-mile border wall.
Milien had planned to travel further into Hait
i to seek opportunities, but says the journey is far too dangerous. He would need to travel through gang territories where food and opportunities are scarce. “There are only criminals,” he said.In 2021, Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, followed by the forced resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in 2023, leaving the economically challenged country fully destabilized.
The violence and unpredictable nature of the country has led to hundreds of thousands fleeing to its neighbor. Dominican residents seem to agree with Abinader’s stance on immigration, as he was elected to a second term in office in 2024.
Rafaela Tejada, a 67-year-old resident of the Dominican Republic, told the AP that the large influx of immigrants will strain the country’s resources, leading to its demise.
“For me, that’s the number one issue the president must focus on. Otherwise, we will soon be left without a country,” she said.
According to NBC News, the country’s government agrees:
“Dominican officials argue that Haitian immigrants have overburdened the country’s public services, with more than 80,000 new Haitian students enrolled in public schools in the past four years. Health officials say Haitian women account for up to 70% of births in the country, costing the government millions of dollars,” the outlet reported.
President Abinader is ramping up efforts to remove Haitians from the Dominican Republic, ordering 10,000 people to be deported weekly. NBC
News reported that over 250,000 people were removed from the country last year. Since the beginning of 2025, more than 30,000 people have been returned to Haiti.Haitians are facing a harrowing future, having given up many of the possessions and connections that tie them to their homeland. The immigrants have built lives and careers in the Dominican Republic but are unable to obtain legal citizenship as they were not born in the country.
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