URGENT ACTION
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: END RACIST POLICIES AGAINST MIGRANTS
Over 180,000 people had been deported to Haiti in the last semester under reinforced racist migration policies. Despite Haiti’s grave security and humanitarian, collective expulsions lack individualized assessments. On 6 April, the government announced 15 additional measures aimed at further restricting migration. These include new barriers for migrants to access public services such as health care. We call on authorities to immediately end collective deportations, and reverse discriminatory policies.
TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

 Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona 
President of the Dominican Republic
Av. México esq. Calle Dr. Delgado, Palacio Nacional,
      Santo Domingo, República Dominicana
X, Instagram and Facebook: @luisabinader
Email: info@presidencia.gob.do

Dear President,

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the ongoing collective expulsions of Haitian migrants and the recent set of 15 measures your government announced on 6 April 2025, to further restrict immigration. The continuation and escalation of deportations — now totaling more than 180,000 people since October 2024 — amount to collective expulsions that violate the rights of migrants and asylum seekers under international law​. Especially their right to an individual assessment.
 
I am particularly alarmed by the fact that your government is deporting people to Haiti despite the ongoing crisis there. Amnesty International has documented that even pregnant women and children have been deported, violating the Dominican protocols on the matter and international human rights law.

Furthermore, it is extremely concerning to know that your government seeks to restrict access to public health services for all migrants. The new protocols could prevent individuals from accessing life-saving health services​, including Dominicans in a situation of statelessness. These actions raise serious human rights concerns and violate the right to health and non-discrimination.

The Dominican Republic must fulfill its human rights obligations and protect the dignity and rights of all people, regardless of nationality. Therefore, I urge you to end racist migration policies against Haitian and all migrants, which include racial profiling, collective deportations and restrictions to access essential services. 

Sincerely,

Additional information

On 2 October 2024, President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic announced the implementation of a plan to deport up to 10,000 migrants per week, targeting people of Haitian origin. By early April 2025, according to the General Directorate of Migration, more than 180,000 people had already been deported under this plan​. These collective expulsions are taking place despite the worsening humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti, which places returnees at grave risk and undermines the principle of non-refoulement.

On 6 April 2025, the Dominican government announced 15 new migration measures that raise further alarm. One such measure includes the implementation of a new protocol in public hospitals requiring healthcare personnel to register the immigration status of all patients, and to notify authorities when undocumented migrants receive services​. According to the government’s announcement, these individuals will be deported immediately after receiving medical attention. This practice threatens the right to health, privacy, and physical integrity, and could deter people at risk—especially pregnant women, children, and survivors of violence—from seeking the healthcare they urgently need.

Furthermore, the government has not introduced adequate guarantees to prevent racial profiling and racial discrimination, nor has it acknowledged or addressed the harmful impact of its migration policies. Instead, officials continue to deny evidence of rights violations presented by civil society organizations and international bodies​. This denial is accompanied by stigmatizing narratives against Haitian migrants, pregnant women, and children seeking access to public services, which reinforce racist stereotypes and create a hostile environment.

Human rights defenders and organizations supporting migrants face increased threats and stigmatization. Despite calls to protect civic space, Dominican authorities have failed to adopt specific measures to safeguard those defending the rights of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent. This lack of action contributes to a broader environment of fear, discouraging documentation of abuses and the exercise of basic rights.

Amnesty International reiterates its call to Dominican authorities to put an end to the systemic practice of collective expulsions and to adopt comprehensive human rights-based migration policies. This includes ensuring individualized assessments of protection needs, protecting access to healthcare and public services without discrimination, and preventing the criminalization and stigmatization of migrants and human rights defenders.
 
PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Spanish or Englis. You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: July 10, 2025. Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline. 

NAME AND PREFERRED PRONOUN: Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona (He/his)

LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr27/8597/2024/en/ 

Additional targets

Her Excellency Mrs Rosa Margarita Hernandez De Grullon
Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary 
Embassy of the Dominican Republic
81 Cromwell Road, SW7 5BW
020 7262 6856
pa@dominicanembassy.org.uk
www.dominicanembassy.org.uk
Monday-Friday 09.00 - 17.00
Emergency Phone Number – 075 0878 6497
Salutation: Your Excellency