Dominican Immigration Chief urges undocumented Haitians to leave voluntarily

The Director of the Dominican Republic’s General Directorate of Immigration (DGM), Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, has issued a warning to undocumented Haitians living in the country: leave voluntarily or face heightened immigration interdictions.

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Ballester made the remarks while outlining recent updates to the agency’s operational strategy, noting that newly trained immigration agents have been deployed across the country and are undergoing practical field exercises.

“We recommend that irregular immigrants here in the Dominican Republic leave voluntarily, because with this deployed personnel, we are going to increase interdictions,” he said.

The Director added that these agents have received both theoretical and hands-on training to effectively carry out immigration operations.

Ballester also announced that the DGM is currently testing a facial recognition system aimed at regulating entry into binational markets—key commercial zones frequented by both Dominicans and Haitians. The new system incorporates biometric technology to monitor and identify foreign nationals seeking access for trade and commerce.

“That equipment has been installed and is being tested. In a few days, we will be working on a resolution that the General Directorate of Immigration will issue, establishing the biometric procedures and regulations that foreigners participating in binational markets must comply with,” Ballester explained.

He emphasized that the process begins with declaring one’s country of origin, allowing authorities to correctly register those entering Dominican territory for commercial purposes.

The announcement comes amid ongoing tensions over migration from neighboring Haiti, which continues to face instability. In recent months, the Dominican government has ramped up efforts to monitor and manage cross-border movement.

During the inspection of the new technologies, Ballester was joined by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection representative from the American Embassy in Santo Domingo. The two officials reviewed the DGM’s technological infrastructure and discussed opportunities for bilateral cooperation on border security and immigration management.