IACHR concerned about rights of individuals in human mobility contexts in the Dominican Republic

February 6, 2026

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) stressed its concern about the adoption of immigration policies that might considerably affect the rights of individuals in human mobility contexts in the Dominican Republic. The IACHR called on the State to review its regulatory framework with an intersectional human rights focus.

The IACHR has been getting since April 2025 reports about the adoption of immigration policies aimed among others at strengthening border security, increasing the number of immigration agents, improving deportation efficiency, and implementing a protocol to control care for irregular migrants in public hospitals. This protocol reportedly seeks to ensure that staff in hospitals run by the National Health Service (SNS) demand ID, an employment verification letter, and proof of residence from anyone seeking care. Anyone who fails to present the required documentation would receive medical care, but they would be deported immediately after being discharged.

The State told the IACHR that it had adopted immigration policies aimed at managing an unusual, complex migrant inflow that has persisted over time. According to the Dominican State, this inflow is linked to the ongoing crisis in Haiti, which the international community has failed to adequately address. These policies seek to preserve public order, national security, and sustainability in the provision of public services in the Dominican Republic, the State said. The State acknowledged that no one may be deprived of emergency medical care and noted that this protocol seeks to structure coordination between the SNS and the General Department of Migration (DGM) to ensure adequate provision of healthcare services and guarantee access to healthcare for all persons, whatever their migration status. However, civil society organizations have warned that migrants are not seeking the medical care they need for fear of being deported without consideration for their potential international protection needs.

The IACHR has also been informed of multiple arrests of migrants, who are reportedly being detained in appalling conditions that fail to preserve their dignity. On this point, the State said that “migrant detention centers” work in accordance with administrative and healthcare protocols and that the State is investing to gradually improve the relevant facilities and other infrastructure, healthcare services, and medical care. However, according to information the IACHR has had access to, at least four facilities that are being used as migrant detention centers present overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, deficient food, and lack of access to healthcare. There have even been reports about the death of a newborn on November 14, 2025, at the Haina Migrant Processing Center in San Cristóbal.

According to DGM data, 310,499 Haitian citizens were deported from the Dominican Republic during the first 10 months of 2025. The State said that its policies are not discriminatory and do not reflect racial profiling, and that immigration raids seek to respond to risks for national security and public order in the face of a potential increase in crime and additional pressure on the provision of public services. The State also noted that these proceedings are temporary and seek to establish whether the affected individuals meet the criteria set by Dominican law and international standards to access regularization, international protection, and other mechanisms, ensuring that no one will be deported without an individual assessment of their case.

The IACHR noted that the State had failed to provide up-to-date, objective official data that might have supported these claims. Civil society organizations say that these procedures have not only affected Haitian citizens, but also Dominican citizens of Haitian descent and particularly those who are Afro-descendant, although the lack of relevant statistics makes it impossible to establish how many. According to the information submitted to the IACHR, these individuals are perceived to be Haitian, based on an apparent use of racial profiling by Dominican authorities in immigration procedures. Many Dominican citizens of Haitian descent have trouble proving their nationality, given the deficient implementation of Act 169-14 and the lack of lasting solutions for stateless persons.

The IACHR has repeatedly said that Afro-descendant persons in the Dominican Republic have historically been vulnerable, in terms of access to and enjoyment of their rights. This vulnerability is apparent in discriminatory attitudes and racial profiling by officers of the State targeting Haitian persons and Dominican persons of Haitian descent, which are the two main factors leading to arrests and deportations of these individuals. Racism in the country dates back to colonial times and continues to be evident nowadays. Tension concerning the inflow of Haitian migrants toward the Dominican Republic reflects multiple historical, political, social, and cultural factors and elements linked to slavery, exploitation, and colonialism. This tension affects immigrants’ living conditions and their right to development. These issues emerge at the intersection of various forms of discrimination against Afro-descendant persons, including Dominican citizens of Haitian descent.

These measures join others previously flagged by the IACHR, including moves to prevent entry of all persons coming from abroad who may impose an unreasonable burden on public finances (like women who are six months pregnant or more) and a new audit involving 220,000 people based on the National Regularization Plan. The IACHR also expressed concern about plans announced by the National Security and Defense Council to effectively deport up to 10,000 individuals with an irregular migration status per week, without considering their potential need for international protection.

The IACHR acknowledges that States have the authority to establish their own migration policies and to determine who may enter, leave, or remain in their territory. However, based on the applicable international principles, all policies, legislation, and practices concerning migration must ensure and protect the human rights of individuals in human mobility contexts, since these involve rights and liberties that stem from human dignity and the principle of non-discrimination. Further, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has stated that international human rights law also bans policies and practices whose effects are discriminatory against certain groups, even when it is not possible to prove a discriminatory intention.

The IACHR reminds States that they must assess the potential international protection needs of anyone under their jurisdiction or effective control before making a decision on their deportation. The IACHR stresses that, in keeping with Article 22.8 of the American Convention on Human Rights, the principle of non-refoulement must be applied to everyone. While they may not be refugees and may not have been granted asylum, individuals may not be returned to a country where their lives or liberty may be at risk or where there may be good reason to believe that they might risk being subjected to torture or other forms of ill-treatment. This is a safeguard to preserve various non-derogable rights, like the rights to life, liberty, or personal integrity.

Concerning healthcare, the IACHR stresses that the State must not prevent access to healthcare services based on the relevant person’s migration status or on their lack of ID. The IACHR also notes that all migrants have the right to confidential access to healthcare services and medical care. This implies that immigration authorities must not be notified of or provided with information regarding the migration status of patients or their parents and must also not conduct immigration control operations in or near hospitals.

The IACHR therefore urges the Dominican State to amend all immigration policies incompatible with its international obligations. The IACHR expresses its willingness to provide technical assistance to the State so the State may take measures that ensure respect for the rights of all individuals in human mobility contexts.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 023/26

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