Dominican Migration targets networks facilitating irregular migration

Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic’s Director General of Migration, Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, said authorities are intensifying efforts to dismantle criminal networks that facilitate irregular migration by transporting, housing and moving undocumented foreigners across the country.

Speaking on the radio program Esto No Tiene Nombre, Lee Ballester said both Dominican and Haitian citizens participate in what he described as a business built around irregular migration. He explained that authorities have identified several methods used by these networks, including the use of vehicles to transport migrants, rental properties and makeshift shelters for undocumented foreigners, as well as unauthorized routes through wooded and mountainous areas to evade immigration controls.

The official also warned that some Dominicans construct informal housing specifically to rent to migrants in irregular status, adding that authorities plan to increase enforcement against those involved.

Lee Ballester said the General Directorate of Migration has strengthened intelligence operations and is working closely with the Public Prosecutor’s Office and other security agencies to identify, investigate and prosecute those who facilitate the transportation, accommodation and illegal entry of undocumented migrants into the country.