Dominican Army halts entry of ‘nearly 1,000 Haitians per day’

Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic Army Commander Jose E. Matos on Tuesday said he plans to organize the Dominican-Haitian border, starting with the expansion of the four crossing gates where people and vehicles enter and exit, to halt the entry of "nearly 1,000 Haitians a day."
He said on instructions from Defense minister Maximo W. Muñoz, actions have begun such as building new checkpoints, and reinforcing the entire border.
The official said more than 1,000 soldiers are deployed at each border brigade and an additional 500 were assigned as the result of Operation Shield, as well as new vehicles and motorcycles, to patrol the areas.
Muñoz, in a visit to Diario Libre editor-in-chief Adriano Miguel Tejada, added that just in January the Army managed to stop 26,000 Haitians who tried to enter the country illegally, "nearly 1,000 Haitians a day."