Faced with the increase in kidnappings, cases of Covid-19, shortages of food, medicine, anti-flu, and other ills, Haitians are pressing to enter the country irregularly in search of a way out of these difficulties. This has mobilized troops from the Army of the Republic, which, in coordination with Immigration officials and inspectors, seek to contain their illegal entry into Dominican territory.

From the 2nd of this month until yesterday, the Army’s Fourth Brigade in Mao, commanded by Colonel Germán Rosario Pérez, has detained more than 2,000 Haitians who have tried to cross into this country clandestinely.

Haitians say they are trying to enter this soil, citing desperation due to kidnappings, the increase in Covid-19, and the lack of essential products and medicines in pharmacies.

Army troops scour mountains, roads, houses, and abandoned buildings in search of illegal immigrants who manage to cross the Massacre River to the Dominican Republic, whose security is in charge of the Specialized Corps of Terrestrial Border Security (Cesfront). However, people residing in Dajabón and the border question the weak role of Cesfront agents in their surveillance area.