Dominican Republic deports pregnant women and children to Haiti amid border clampdown

Medical care and human rights should not depend on immigration documents.

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The Dominican Republic has deported dozens of Haitian women — many of them pregnant or with newborns — along with children, as part of its sweeping immigration enforcement targeting undocumented migrants.

Dominican authorities said 135 women and children were detained on Monday and transported to a migration holding centre before being returned to Haiti, a country beset by escalating gang violence and political instability.

The mass deportations coincided with the enforcement of a contentious immigration policy introduced by Dominican President Luis Abinader, which mandates staff at National Health Service (SNS) hospitals to collect patients’ identification, employment documentation, and proof of residency for verification by immigration officials present at the hospitals.

According to officials, 33 public hospitals implementing the new rule. Authorities said deportations were carried out humanely, with medical checks conducted before the women and children were placed on buses.

Health and human rights groups have condemned the measure, saying it threatens access to care.

The Dominican Medical Association warned the policy could endanger lives, especially those of people seeking urgent medical attention.

Amnesty International said the new rule could dissuade vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women and children, from seeking help. “This puts people’s right to health, privacy, and physical safety at risk,” it said in a statement.

The Dominican government ensure that no one will be denied for medical treatment, regardless of immigration status. But critics say the threat of deportation may already be deterring people from seeking care.

Over the past six months, more than 180,000 people have been deported from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, where humanitarian conditions are worsening.

Hospitals, schools, and essential services in Haiti are collapsing under pressure from rampant gang violence.

One of the country’s major health facilities, the University Hospital of Mirebalais, was recently evacuated after armed groups attacked the surrounding town.

UN envoy María Isabel Salvador warned this week that Haiti is “approaching the point of no return.” She called for urgent international support to avoid what she described as an impending societal collapse.