Related videos:
Dominican Republic will receive around thirty migrants deported from third countries each month from United States, as confirmed this Thursday by Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez in a press conference, one day after both governments signed a controversial non-binding migration agreement.
Álvarez specified that the stay of the deportees on the island will be "between about seven to fifteen days" and that the U.S. government will cover all operational costs.
The agreement has a duration of one year and explicitly excludes Haitian nationals, unaccompanied minors, and individuals with criminal records.
The chancellor admitted that the Dominican government "has not yet identified" the exact location where the deportees will stay, although they will be "permanently under surveillance" and will receive support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Álvarez rejected claims that Santo Domingo has yielded to pressures from Washington: "Our government receives requests from all our partners, but it does not respond to pressures (...) We decide sovereignly which requests to accept and which to reject. What is in our interest for our sovereignty, and that is why we have not included the arrival of any Haitian citizens in the agreement."
The minister also argued that the Dominican Republic "had no reasons" to refuse a request from its "main" trading partner and political ally, and framed the agreement within the U.S. initiative known as the "Shield of the Americas."
"Countries such as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, and Paraguay, among others, have signed similar agreements with the United States. These individuals are not criminals; they simply did not enter the United States through regular channels and are not in that country's immigration system," he emphasized.
The agreement was not sent to the Dominican National Congress as it was considered non-binding and terminable at any time by either party.
Opposition groups and sectors of civil society criticized the agreement. The Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), through José Dantés Díaz, demanded transparency and access to the full text, warning that "there may be constitutional, immigration, sovereignty, and institutional competency implications that require serious and responsible analysis."
In response to the criticism, President Luis Abinader announced 15 measures to address illegal migration and ordered the establishment of a Citizen Observatory on the Functioning of Migration Policy.
The Dominican agreement is part of a regional trend driven by the Trump administration, which has signed deportation deals with 27 countries and frozen asylum applications for citizens from 39 nations, including Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti.
Paraguay received its first flight on April 22 with 25 migrants deported from the United States after signing a similar memorandum. El Salvador agreed in March 2025 to accept around 300 individuals accused of being part of the Tren de Aragua for 4.76 million dollars.
The impact on Cubans has been particularly well documented: deportations to third countries have left thousands of migrants in a state of extreme vulnerability, and at least four Cuban citizens were sent to African countries—South Sudan and Eswatini—without any connection to those nations. In total, 42,084 Cubans have final deportation orders in the United States.
Álvarez concluded his remarks with a definition of the agreement's scope: "We are not discussing permanent settlement or migratory absorption, nor judicial processes in the country. This is an operation of controlled, temporary transit conducted under the parameters of national sovereignty and international cooperation."
Filed under: