Dominican Republic-Flow Monitoring Registration about cross border inhabitants #3, 22 May-4 June 2021

The cross-border movement of Haitian nationals is recurrent, and this movement is represented by border inhabitants in Haitian towns. Part of these movements are irregular even though official entry points are used. This is due to the fact that there are territorial roots, and the type of movement is temporary, as well as the fact that in the General Migration Law 285-04 there is a migration category of border inhabitant, although this has not yet been implemented.

However, given this inconsistency, Haitians migrating under this method represent an irregular migrant population in Dominican territory, putting them in a position of vulnerability and a propensity to non-voluntary returns. Historically, the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti has been characterized by a cross-border commercial dynamic, due to the exchange of different goods and the supply of markets with a greater flow towards Haiti. At the border level, border cities such as Dajabón, Jimaní, Elías Piña and Pedernales have stood out, and the flows represented in this study correspond to the days when there is no trade with Haiti.

The flows represented in this study correspond to days when there is no exchange of goods, that is, when there is no active commercial dynamics.