Dominican Republic 'to deport up to 10,000 migrants a week'

Haitian migrants in a lorry belonging to the immigration enforcement service of the Dominican Republic after being transported to Haiti

The Dominican Republic says it plans to deport up to 10,000 undocumented migrants a week to combat uncontrolled migration.

The plan was announced by President Luis Abinader's spokesman, Homero Figueroa, who blamed the international community's slow response to months of gang violence in neighbouring Haiti and its failure to restore stability.

Tens of thousands of Haitians have fled across the border into the Dominican Republic.

Critics say the government of President Abinader has treated Haitian migrants inhumanely, many of whom are fleeing the extreme gang violence and poverty in the capital Port-au-Prince.

Mr Figueroa said deportations would begin immediately and follow strict protocols that guaranteed respect for human rights.

The comments by the Dominican government’s spokesman suggest the rate of deportations of undocumented Haitians is about to ramp up significantly.

Since gang violence in Haiti has worsened in recent months, the Dominican authorities have steadily been returning Haitians over their shared land border including several truckloads of people per day at the border crossing at Dajabon.

Now, said Mr Figueroa, that figure could reach as many as 10,000 people a week.

He spoke of what he called an “excess” of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic and said the border authorities would also increase their surveillance and control.

The Dominican president recently warned the United Nations’ General Assembly that his government was prepared to take what he called “drastic measures” in the face of the humanitarian crisis across the border.

In part, these latest comments about mass deportations underline Santo Domingo’s frustration at the international community’s failure to establish greater stability in Haiti.

A Kenyan-led international security force of around 400 officers has been deployed to the Caribbean nation.

However, gangs still control most of the capital and the humanitarian emergency in terms of hunger, access to clean drinking water and medical attention remains critical.

According to the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM), last year the Dominican Republic forcibly returned more than 200,000 people to Haiti.