Dominican police, military detain Haitians nationwide

SANTO DOMINGO. – Several agencies yesterday heightened the detentions of undocumented Haitians nationwide to return them to their country, in operations which includes slums in the capital and bus terminals, after managing to sneak across the border and arrive at Santo Domingo and other cities even after the Government established stricter public health controls.

The Immigration Agency, the military the Police, the Border Security Agency (Cesfront) and the National Investigations Department (DNI), work together to locate traffickers of illegal immigrants, mainly in areas such as the resort towns Bavaro and Punta Cana (east).

“The actions to detain undocumented people and those who transport them continue. This stage of the operation includes inspection in bus stops in the entire country, to prevent the congregation and movement of foreign people, coming from Haiti, without the corresponding documentation,” the military said in a statement.

It said careful intelligence work preceded the plan “to identify the people traffickers who lend themselves to this illicit activity, their accomplices and their protectors,” and led to the confiscation of two vehicles on Thursday, carrying 56 Haitians in Montecristi; 41 men, 12 women and three children.

The arrest occurred in the community La Breña, says the Armed Forces Ministry report, adding that it detained 14 other illegal immigrants being transported in Mao, Valverde province, toward Santiago.