Dominican Republic Agrees to Take U.S. Deportees From 3rd Countries Under Limited Transit Deal
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 13
Dominican Republic Agrees to Take U.S. Deportees From 3rd Countries Under Limited Transit Deal
4 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 13
A nonbinding memorandum lets the Dominican Republic accept a limited number of third-country migrants deported by the United States, marking a policy reversal by President Luis Abinader.
The deal covers deportees without criminal records and excludes Haitians and unaccompanied minors; Santo Domingo said those sent there would be treated as "in transit," with no clear legal time limit.
The agreement supports President Donald Trump's push to find countries willing to receive migrants the U.S. struggles to return, including people from parts of Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia.
Bernardo Vega, a former Dominican ambassador to Washington, called the pact bad news and said it suggested U.S. pressure on the Caribbean nation.
Why would a nation with a history of mass deportations agree to accept another country's deportees?
What fate awaits deportees in a country that considers them merely 'in transit' with no time limit?