Dominican Republic detains over 2,000 irregular migrants, deports 1,350 in nationwide crackdown

The Dominican Republic’s Dirección General de Migración (DGM) reported on 20 May 2026 that 2,056 people in irregular migratory status were detained across the country, and 1,350 were deported. The largest number of arrests occurred in the border province of El Ás Piña, where 230 individuals were taken into custody. Other significant detention points included Dajabón (364 deportations), Jimaní (247), and Pedernales (15). DGM agents made 1,872 direct arrests, while security forces handed over an additional 184 people, including 113 by the Dominican Army and 71 by the National Police.

Detentions were recorded in many urban areas such as La Vega, Santo Domingo, Montecristi, Santiago and Puerto Plata, covering neighborhoods like Los Frailes, Manoguayabo and Villa Bisonó. Earlier that day, army patrols in the northern border towns of Dajabón and Montecristi stopped 18 Haitian nationals—five men, four women minors, and nine others—including a group intercepted near the Maguaca reservoir. The operations illustrate the government's ongoing border surveillance and migration control efforts.