Dominican Republic army intercepts dozens of Haitian migrants in border raids

The Dominican Republic army carried out several border interdiction operations in June 2026. In Santiago Rodríguez province, soldiers pursued a vehicle reportedly driven by a known migrant smuggler, seized a gray 2018 Toyota 4Runner and detained 20 undocumented Haitian migrants – 14 men, five women and a minor – before releasing the driver.

Separate army patrols captured a further 56 Haitians across the northern border provinces of Dajabón, Santiago Rodríguez and Valverde. The operations involved multiple motorbike convoys and resulted in groups of 18, 19, 12 and 7 undocumented Haitians being seized, including women and children.

The Dominican Migration Directorate reported that during the same weekend, security forces detained 3,651 foreign nationals and deported 3,123 irregular migrants from various urban areas and border checkpoints, with the majority expelled through the crossings at Dajabón, El Álisa, Jimaní and Pedernales.