The government of the Dominican Republic began on Sunday (20) the construction of a wall that intends to cover almost half of its 392 kilometers of border with Haiti.
President Luis Abinader says that the project is intended to curb illegal immigration, smuggling of goods and the trafficking of weapons and drugs.
The two countries share the territory of the island of Hispaniola, but live very divergent realities. While Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the Americas and facing political and economic crises, the Dominican Republic thrives as a popular Caribbean tourist destination.
Therefore, many Haitians cross the border clandestinely in search of work in the fields or construction in the Dominican Republic.
“The benefit for both countries will be of great importance because it will allow us to control bilateral trade in a much more efficient way, regulate migratory flows and fight the mafias that traffic people, drugs and illegally sell weapons,” said Abinader shortly before press the button to start pouring concrete into the foundations of what will become the wall in the province of Dajabón, about 230 kilometers northwest of the capital.
About 500,000 Haitians and tens of thousands of their descendants live in the Dominican Republic, which has about 11 million people, according to 2018 data.
Abinader said the first phase of the project will be completed in nine months. The concrete wall will be 20 centimeters thick, 3.9 meters high and will be equipped with fiber optics, motion sensors, cameras, radars and drones.
The project, which will have an investment of approximately US$31 million, also includes the construction of 70 watchtowers and 41 access gates. The second phase, explained the president, contemplates the construction of another 110 kilometers of wall.
Human rights organizations criticize the initiative, calling it xenophobic and racist. The mayor of Dajabón, Santiago Riverón, told the AFP news agency that he disagreed with its construction.
“A physical wall will be built. Now we have to work with the wall in the minds of the military, who are the ones who take advantage of the border and receive bribes of 100 or 200 pesos (2 or 4 dollars) to allow illegal Haitians to enter Dominican territory. “, Riveron said.
Haiti, the first country in Latin America to declare itself independent, in 1804, is going through a moment of overlapping crises. In July 2021, President Jovenel Moïse, who was accused of authoritarianism, was assassinated by mercenaries – 48 people, including 18 Colombians and 2 Americans of Haitian origin, were arrested. The episode provoked protests, with shortages of supplies and cases of violence in the streets.
In addition, the country’s social situation was worsened by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on 14 August. The quake left more than 2,200 people dead and about 130,000 homes damaged.
With the serious political and economic situation, Haiti is also experiencing a security crisis: at the end of last year, a group of missionaries was kidnapped and then managed to flee. Crime is a tool used by criminal organizations to raise money — there were at least 628 such episodes from January to September 2021, according to the Haitian Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights.
