Dominican Opposition Criticizes Agreement With U.S. on Third-Country Deportees

Opposition figures in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday criticized an agreement signed with the United States to receive third-country deportees. They said the non-binding memorandum of understanding lacks transparency and violates national sovereignty.

The agreement, announced the previous day by the Dominican Foreign Ministry, provides for the temporary entry of a limited number of third-country nationals who have no criminal records. These individuals would stay in the country before being returned to their home countries.

The deal forms part of broader U.S. efforts to deport migrants to countries other than their own. The third-country deportations have drawn criticism in several nations in Latin America and Africa that have reached similar arrangements with the Trump administration.

The operations cost millions of dollars and are one element of the current U.S. immigration enforcement policy. “This agreement represents a surrender of our national sovereignty,” Manolo Pichardo from the opposition Fuerza del Pueblo party told The Associated Press.

” Former Dominican Foreign Minister Andrés Navarro questioned the apparent lack of transparency surrounding the agreement. He called on the government to publish the full memorandum so the public can understand its scope. “What has been published says practically nothing,” Navarro said Tuesday.

He added that while he supports maintaining and strengthening relations with the U.S., any agreement must not violate Dominican sovereignty.

The Dominican Foreign Ministry stated that the agreement will be carried out in accordance with national law and the country’s international obligations. Officials said it will not alter Dominican immigration policy or current border control and management procedures.

The ministry underlined that the agreement does not apply to children or nationals from neighboring Haiti, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Leah Campos noted on Instagram that the short-term memorandum allows the United States to remove and repatriate third-country nationals more quickly.

She said this would occur while respecting Dominican law, the country’s sovereignty and current border procedures. She added that the U.S. is collaborating with the Dominican Republic to combat transnational crime and drug trafficking, fight terrorism, and promote stability and prosperity in the region.