Dominican Republic: Wall construction on the border with Haiti progresses

According to the government, the Dominican Republic is progressing in building the 164-kilometer wall on the border with Haiti. Seven companies were invited on Saturday, August 20, to submit bids for the second phase of the project, which aims to “control” illegal migration.

According to the report, the first stage of the wall, which is to be around fifty-four kilometers long, is already well advanced and is expected to be completed in February 2023, the Ministry of Defense (MIDE), which is in charge of the works, said in a statement. A tender has now been opened to seven “national and international” companies to build the second section, covering 110 kilometers.

“The selection will consider experience and capacity, following rules and procedures for awarding contracts in exceptional cases for national security projects. Proposals will be received on Monday, September 5,” the ministry said. Two land routes, towers with surveillance cameras, and “gates at specific locations” will be built along the wall.

Adequate infrastructure will be provided “to regulate the movement of people, vehicles and commerce and the complex social situations that arise along the 391.6 kilometers between the two countries.” The works in this second phase “include a reinforced concrete wall structure, a cyclone grating and a steel section grating with bellows above it,” the ministry added.

The controversial project, with an investment of about US$31 million, was promoted by Dominican President Luis Abinader to “control” illegal migration and the mafia on the border with Haiti.

Large numbers of Haitians working irregularly on Dominican soil, especially in construction and street commerce, cross the border. Migrant organizations criticize the wall initiative as “xenophobic and racist.”

The Dominican Republic has 10.5 million inhabitants, 500,000 of whom are Haitian, according to the National Immigration Survey.

With information from Latina Press