Photo of Miguel Franjul, president of Listín Diario and Director of OPM during an event in 2025
By Djovany Michel, Satellite 509, May 18, 2026
The Dominican Republic's Migration Policy Observatory (OPM) presented its third working report at the Santo Domingo Technological Institute (Intec) on Monday, May 18, 2026. This document assesses the first year of implementation of the 15 emergency measures decreed by the Dominican executive branch in response to the migration crisis. The results reveal a mixed picture, with implementation rates ranging from 20% to 137% depending on the sector, according to the OPM.
The observatory indicates that the migration registration protocol in public hospitals has a 100% success rate. According to them, this measure has generated "substantial savings" for the state, resulting in a dramatic 63.15% decrease in births to Haitian women in January 2026. Furthermore, 596 women in labor were deported after their medical condition stabilized.
The OPM goes on to report that, in terms of infrastructure, the construction of the additional 13 kilometers of the border barrier has reached 25% of its objective, prompting authorities to call for the deployment of a "technological wall" in the rugged areas.
On the repatriation front, the government's objective of returning 10,000 foreigners per week has achieved a 33% success rate, maintaining a systematic pace that has allowed it to surpass the 100,000 mark for deportations. Simultaneously, border control operations have led to the arrest of more than 50,000 undocumented migrants and the prosecution of 239 smugglers, resulting in the dismissal of nine members of the military. However, the president of the OPM (Office of Migration and Population), Miguel Franjul, highlighted the continued existence of extortion networks that release migrants for ransom along the border.
The observatory highlights that the report's main shortcoming lies in the nationalization of labor. The initiative to integrate Dominicans into agriculture and construction, while guaranteeing them continued social assistance through the Supérate program, has been a resounding failure, achieving only 20% effectiveness. The observatory laments a local disinterest in physically demanding jobs, despite attractive wages. The OPM plans a new field mission in June to assess the direct impact of these measures on border populations.
Meanwhile, the Haitian government remains silent in the face of the scientific methods applied by the Dominicans. They still await prayers from the basilicas and a miracle from Perpetual Help to help the country out of this predicament, while the Haitian people do everything they can to escape this hell created by bad governance.
Posted May 25, 2026