Dominican Republic under fire as deportations of pregnant and
breastfeeding women to Haiti rise
[April 26, 2025]
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The United Nations and human rights
activists are warning about an increase in pregnant women being deported
from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, where they say their lives are
being put at risk.
Less than 40% of health centers in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince,
remain open as gang violence surges.
Meanwhile, the University Hospital of Mirebalais, which has around 300
beds and is located in Haiti’s central region, has suspended operations,
according to a statement Thursday from the U.N.
The U.N. said two other hospitals in that area “face critical shortages,
including oxygen and emergency medical kits.”
The two hospitals have treated more than 200 patients for gunshot
wounds, strokes, malnutrition and suspected cholera since the Mirebalais
hospital closed, according to the U.N.
U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that many of those deported
“arrive in precarious and highly vulnerable conditions, often without
any resources.”
The International Organization for Migration said that it has seen an
increase in women deported from the Dominican Republic in recent weeks,
along with children and newborns.
It warned they’re being deported to a country “where access to basic
services remains severely limited.”
The increase in those deportations comes as the administration of
Dominican President Luis Abinader implemented a new measure this week
requiring hospital staff to ask patients for their identification, work
permits and proof of residence.
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 The measure is one of more than a
dozen announced earlier this month to crack down on migrants living
in the Dominican Republic without legal permission, as people in
neighboring Haiti flee a surge in gang violence.
On Tuesday, the Dominican Republic’s migration agency arrested 48
pregnant women and 39 others who just gave birth, along with 48
minors. On Wednesday, agents arrested 78 other migrants at
hospitals, although the agency didn't provide additional details.
Amnesty International on Thursday called on Abinader’s
administration to repeal the measure, saying it “must take concrete
action against racial discrimination.”
Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the Caribbean island of
Hispaniola.
Abinader visited the shared border on Thursday, telling soldiers
that it was “completely unacceptable” to let through any migrants
trying to enter the Dominican Republic illegally.
He also dismissed criticism by Amnesty International and called on
the rights group to work in Haiti and address its crises.
“My responsibility it to defend the Dominican Republic,” he said.
Overall, the Dominican Republic has expelled more than 180,000
people since October, when it announced mass deportations.
Haiti’s transitional presidential council on Thursday condemned what
it said was the violation of human rights of Haitians in the
Dominican Republic and called on the government to prioritize
bilateral dialogue.
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