How is the Dominican Republic-Haiti border? The Migration Policy Observatory is monitoring the situation.

Pedernales.-  As part of its institutional mission to ensure the transparency and effectiveness of the State’s migration policies, the Migration Policy Observatory (OPM) conducted an extensive monitoring tour of the border area from Pedernales to Manzanillo on Friday, June 27. The event was attended by the Administrative Minister of the Presidency, Andrés Bautista, and the Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre.

During the visit, Miguel Franjul, president of the Observatory and director of Listín Diario, explained that this tour is part of the follow-up to the 15 measures adopted by President Luis Abinader regarding migration and border issues. “We are starting here in Pedernales and observing how the biometric control process is carried out, how Haitian citizens enter the markets, and also the nature of the physical works the government is carrying out to protect Dominican security and assets on our side,” he noted.

Franjul stated that on-site supervision confirms the institutional commitment to active border surveillance and rigorous compliance with government decisions. “The border not only marks a line, the limits of a country, but also guarantees greater security for the assets and lives of the people on this side,” he added.

Bautista also emphasized the government’s interest in ensuring that the 15 immigration measures are implemented within the framework of respect for human rights and with transparency. He added that this is one of the fundamental reasons for the creation of the OPM, to observe, report, and criticize, if necessary, any errors related to their implementation.

For his part, Defense Minister Fernández Onofre said he is accompanying the Observatory Commission on this tour to monitor compliance with immigration measures, which stretches from Pedernales to Manzanillo, in Montecristi, observing all the work and movement at all border crossings and the implementation of immigration policies.

In addition to Miguel Franjul, the following people took part in the tour: César Dargam (CONEP), Alliet Ortega (INTEC), Juan Mera and Ricardo Fondeur (APEDI), Wilson Gómez and Jacinto Pichardo (Duartiano Institute), Igor Bucarelly and Miguel Franjul Jr. (OPM Technical Committee), Feliciano Lacer (CODUE), and Federico Jovine (inter-institutional liaison for the Observatory). Also present on the visit were Lee Bayester, Director General of Migration; General Francisco Avalo Nuñez, Deputy Chief of the National Army; and Brigadier General José H. Rodríguez Coste, Chief of Cesfront, the Specialized Corps for Land Border Security.

The delegation departed from the Ministry of Defense at 6:00 a.m. and visited strategic points in Pedernales, Jimaní, Elías Piña, and Montecristi, where they inspected wall construction, military detachments, and border checkpoints.

The Migration Policy Observatory was created by Decree No. 215-25, issued by President Luis Abinader, as a space for citizen exchange aimed at strengthening organized surveillance, transparency, and civil society participation in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of the Dominican State’s migration policies.

Among the 15 immigration policy measures announced by President Luis Abinader, several are aimed at implementing them on the border between the two countries. These include expanding the supervisory capacity of the three current border brigades into six operational areas, each under the supervision of a senior officer.

Additionally, we will strengthen border surveillance with an additional 1,500 troops, adding to the 9,500 already serving on the border, and accelerate construction of the border wall, adding 13 kilometers to the 54 km of wall already built.