Dominican industrialists criticize the Dominican state's method of expelling Haitians

The migration policy launched by President Luis Abinader has enormous consequences for the functioning of industries in the Dominican Republic. This weekend, the president of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD) denounced the deportation method applied by the Dominican government. Julio Brache advocates for the regularization of Haitian migrants, arguing that their expulsions have a negative impact on several productive sectors.

“Instead of the massive deportations carried out by the government, it would be better and more practical to regularize undocumented migrants linked to the labor sector,” Brache recommends, encouraging migration authorities to use biometric data, fingerprints, and photographs to issue work permits to Haitian migrants. These individuals, he says, could legally cross the border to work in Dominican territory and then return home.

The new measures adopted by the Dominican authorities greatly affect the construction and agri-food sectors in certain regions of the country.

More than one million irregular Haitian migrants have been expelled from the country between 2016 and April 2025, according to the Directorate General of Migration. Since October 2024, the Dominican president has ordered the expulsion of 10,000 Haitians per week.

AIRD brings together more than 200 industries, belonging to 23 sub-sectors, which are directly linked to the economic development of the Dominican Republic, operating notably in food, beverages, plastics, textiles, mining, energy, cement, and construction.

Gedeon Delva