Dominican Republic Deports 1,139 to Haiti in One Day
MIGRATION · DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Key Facts
- —The country A Caribbean country a short flight from Miami and New York. It shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.
- —Why it matters Since October 2024 the government has run a mass removal drive against undocumented migrants. Almost all are Haitians, and Haiti remains in deep crisis.
- —Why now On Sunday 4 October the migration office (DGM) published its newest daily figures, covering Saturday and Sunday.
- —What happened On Saturday 3 October the DGM detained 1,171 foreigners and deported 1,139 through border posts. On Sunday it sent 302 Haitians across at Dajabón.
- —The numbers From January to July 2026 the DGM deported 250,429 people, 16.2% more than a year earlier, the office said on 21 August.
- —What it means for you Removals run at roughly 1,000 a day while ICE charter flights regularly return Dominicans who served US prison sentences. Haiti’s capacity to absorb returnees affects regional migration toward the US.
- —Still open Why 32 of Saturday’s detainees were not removed the same day. The DGM gave no detail on minors or asylum claims.
Dominican Republic deportations held at about 1,000 a day this weekend, the country’s migration office said on Sunday. Almost all deportees are sent across the land border into Haiti. For US readers, the pace matters because Haiti, in deep crisis, must absorb every returnee.
The Dirección General de Migración (DGM) said it detained 1,171 foreigners on Saturday 3 October and deported 1,139 through border posts. On Sunday it sent 302 Haitians across the bridge at Dajabón.
What the Migration Office Reported
The DGM said Sunday’s 302 deportees first went through identification, screening and registration before being handed over at Dajabón. Diario Libre and Infobae both carried the statement.
Saturday’s national balance showed 1,171 people detained in raids and checkpoints. Of those, 1,139 were deported the same day through several official border crossings.
Friday’s report was larger. The office said 1,382 foreigners were detained nationwide, with a focus on the border province of Elías Piña. The local outlet Dajabón24HorasRD carried the report.
That day 1,007 people were handed over for removal, 363 of them at Dajabón. Another 293 left from the Haina processing centre near Santo Domingo.
On Tuesday 29 September the DGM reported 1,145 detentions and 992 deportations, RCC Noticias said. The army handed over 345 people and the National Police 142 of those detained.
A Policy Now Two Years Old
The drive began in October 2024. On 2 October that year, President Luis Abinader’s security council ordered a plan to repatriate up to 10,000 undocumented Haitians a week.
Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, a navy officer, heads the DGM. In February he said more than 525,000 people had been removed since he took office, Listín Diario reported.
Dominican Republic deportations have not slowed. From January to July 2026 the DGM deported 250,429 people, against 215,463 a year earlier. EFE and Infobae carried the figures.
That is a rise of 16.2% and close to 1,000 removals a day. Figures attributed to the DGM by the outlet Acento put 2025 at 379,553 repatriations, up from 276,215 in 2024.
The weekend figures fit that trend rather than mark a new surge in Dominican Republic deportations. Daily totals have hovered between about 990 and 1,140 deportations in the reports published since 29 September.
Why the Haiti Border Matters Beyond the Island
Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. The United Nations calls its situation one of the worst humanitarian crises in the Western Hemisphere, Infobae and EFE noted.
Armed gangs control much of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Each returnee lands in a country with scarce jobs and services.
Trade at the border is also under strain. Haiti has just ordered overseas imports to stop transiting Dominican territory, as set out in Haiti Transit Ban Orders Overseas Imports to Bypass Dominican Republic.
Inside the Dominican Republic, the migration service itself faces scrutiny. An internal review could not locate 150 of its vehicles, reported in Dominican Migration Audit Cannot Find 150 Vehicles.
The Other Direction: Flights From the United States
The traffic also runs the other way. Aircraft chartered by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) land regularly at Las Américas airport near Santo Domingo. One such flight brought 72 Dominicans on Tuesday 21 April.
Most passengers are Dominicans who have served prison sentences in the United States, Listín Diario and EFE have reported. Local press tallies put 2026 returns from the US above 2,300 by early September.
The two flows differ sharply in scale. The DGM removes in a day roughly what ICE flights return to the Dominican Republic in about three months.
The government presents Dominican Republic deportations as routine enforcement of migration law 285-04. Officials say agents follow set procedures and work with the army, the police and the border corps CESFRONT.
What It Means for You
For Americans, the weekend figures are mainly a migration signal. Removals at this pace send about 30,000 people a month into Haiti, where jobs and services are scarce.
That keeps pressure on migration routes across the Caribbean, including those toward the United States. Washington adds its own flow through ICE flights to Santo Domingo.
For visitors, the DGM says its raids target foreigners without regular migration status.
What Is Not Known
The DGM did not say why 32 of Saturday’s detainees were not removed the same day. It also did not say whether any deportees had applied for residence, regularisation or protection.
Infobae noted the office gave no information on medical checks or the presence of minors. Monthly totals for August and September 2026 have been reported with differing figures and are not independently confirmed.
The office has not said whether daily reports will continue, nor whether the pace will change before year end.
How many people did the Dominican Republic deport this weekend?
The migration office said it deported 1,139 people through border posts on Saturday 3 October, after 1,171 detentions. On Sunday 4 October it sent 302 Haitians across at Dajabón.
How many Haitians has the Dominican Republic deported in 2026?
The DGM said it deported 250,429 people between January and July 2026, 16.2% more than in the same period of 2025. Almost all Dominican Republic deportations involve Haitian nationals.
Does the United States also deport people to the Dominican Republic?
Yes. An ICE charter flight lands at Las Américas airport near Santo Domingo almost every Tuesday. Most passengers served sentences in US prisons.
Sources: Diario Libre (DGM figures, 3 and 4 October); Infobae (DGM figures, 5 October); Dajabón24HorasRD (DGM, 2 October); RCC Noticias (DGM, 29 September); Infobae/EFE (January to July 2026); Acento (2024 and 2025 totals, 2024 plan); Listín Diario (Lee Ballester, February); Noticias SIN/EFE (ICE Tuesday flights); El Democrático (US returns in 2026).
This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief