Dominican Republic

On May 12, 2026, the government of the Dominican Republic announced a memorandum of understanding with the United States to receive third country nationals. The Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided further details on the agreement, stating it is a “non-binding memorandum of understanding, aimed at temporary and exceptional entry of a limited number of Third Country Nationals to the Dominican Republic.” Under the new agreement, the Dominican Republic will temporarily host up to 30 third-country nationals per month for stays of 7 to 15 days, explicitly excluding Haitian nationals, individuals with criminal records, and unaccompanied minors. 

The operational implementation of the agreement is funded by the U.S. government and supported on the ground by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to ensure “adequate conditions during the temporary stay and facilitate orderly returns to countries of origin.” The announcement of the agreement states that its implementation will adhere to domestic law and international obligations without altering current Dominican migration policy or border control procedures. It remains unclear where these individuals will be housed or if they will be screened for fear of return prior to repatriation. 

It appears that the Dominican Republic hopes to strengthen relations with the United States by entering into the agreement, and signing it is a shift in position by the government. In February 2025, the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, was asked whether the country would accept foreign migrants deported from the United States. His response was “we do not have, nor will we accept, nor are we obligated to, nor will we accept receiving people from other countries.”

There has been pushback against the agreement in the Dominican Republic. A member of the opposition party, Fuerza del Pueblo, told The Associated Press that signing the agreement  constitutes “a surrender of … national sovereignty” that “subordinates Dominican interests to the geopolitical priorities of major Western powers and their strategic allies.” Former Dominican Foreign Minister Andrés Navarro requested that the Dominican Government publish the agreement to improve transparency. Navarro said, “what has been published says practically nothing.”

The Dominican Republic’s announcement of the agreement to receive third country nationals also extended authorization to the U.S. military (granted in November 2025 ) to temporarily operate inside restricted areas of the San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport to engage in counter-drug trafficking efforts. The two governments have a long-history of collaborating closely on counter-narcotics and migration control in the Caribbean.  This cooperation has intensified through the multi-million dollar Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), focusing heavily on building Dominican judicial and maritime law enforcement capacity to disrupt transnational drug and weapons trafficking. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Dominican Navy carry out frequent joint operations to intercept migrant vessels and repatriate individuals to Dominican ports.

Historically, the United States has provided funding to the Dominican Republic for a variety of activities, including, but not limited to the provision of HIV services, humanitarian assistance, and for food commodities. Funding for 2025 and 2026 was only partially reported, making it challenging to track levels of economic assistance. Under a new five-year bilateral health agreement, the U.S. government plans to provide up to $46.7 million to help the Dominican Republic combat HIV/AIDS and other health threats, while the Dominican government commits to boosting its own domestic health spending by $14.1 million. 

The Dominican Republic is currently constructing a 13-foot-high fence along its border with Haiti and it has been deporting tens of thousands of Haitians, including pregnant women and unaccompanied minors. Organizations have documented human rights violations faced by Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent, including arbitrary detention, family separation, and racial profiling. The Dominican Republic has also been criticized for its detention conditions, particularly in the infamous detention center in Haina. The center can hold up to 2,500 people: an increase from the previous capacity of 500 people. Testimonies indicate deplorable conditions, extortion, and a lack of support from legal teams and family members.