Abinader Tightens Migration Controls as Dominican Republic Prepares Return Plan While Haitian Pastor Wanted Since 2019 Is Arrested

The Dominican Republic has reaffirmed its migration control policy targeting foreign workers while simultaneously preparing a national reintegration program for returning migrants, amid growing regional migration pressure and several sensitive issues linked to Haiti.

On May 11, 2026, the General Directorate of Migration (DGM) reminded companies and individuals of their obligation to regularize the migration status of foreign employees working in Dominican territory. According to the institution’s director, Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, 112 companies have already been sanctioned for employing undocumented workers.

Penalties may range between 15 and 20 minimum wages depending on the seriousness of the violations identified. The DGM stated that obtaining the temporary worker document (TT1) requires prior verification of the employee’s legal entry into the country as well as registration of the labor contract with the Ministry of Labor and the Social Security Treasury (TSS).

Employers are also required to notify migration authorities in the event of contract termination involving foreign workers. At the same time, the DGM continues its administrative decentralization process by strengthening offices in Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Santiago to expand migration enforcement capacity nationwide.

A few days later, on May 14, 2026, Dominican authorities announced they were working on a future national reception and reintegration model for returning migrants, inspired by a program currently implemented in Guatemala.

Geanilda Vásquez, director of the Institute for Dominicans Abroad (INDEX), traveled to Guatemala on May 11 and 12 to study the “Return to Home Plan,” a coordinated humanitarian assistance and social reintegration mechanism.

According to Dominican authorities, the program includes medical, administrative and psychosocial assistance, along with measures related to employment, education and the issuance of official documents. The Dominican delegation met with several regional institutions, including the Guatemalan Migration Institute, the Secretariat for Central American Social Integration and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Authorities said they intend to adapt certain regional practices to establish a national framework for assisting returning migrants amid increasing migration flows across the region.

Alongside these institutional developments, a judicial case involving a Haitian national drew attention from authorities on both sides of the border.

On May 10, 2026, Haiti’s National Police arrested pastor Arsenio Jiménez in Ouanaminthe, near the Dominican border. The man had been wanted since 2019 in a case involving the alleged rape of a minor.

According to Haitian authorities, a judicial order issued in 2021 had already requested his referral to criminal court and preventive detention. Despite the ruling, the pastor reportedly continued residing in the Dominican Republic, particularly in the Dajabón area, where he carried out religious activities in a local church.

Local reports also mentioned the presentation of an unverified document at the time of the arrest in an alleged attempt to avoid detention. Haitian authorities have not yet provided further details regarding the judicial proceedings or possible administrative cooperation between the two countries in the case.

Soraya Ades.