The Dominican Republic has launched a sweeping nationwide operation targeting both immigration violations and environmental crimes, resulting in significant enforcement actions within a 24-hour period. According to the General Directorate of Migration (DGM), authorities detained 1,049 undocumented foreigners while deporting 1,108 individuals.
A substantial portion of these detentions—378 individuals—were specifically for environmental offenses rather than purely immigration status issues. These arrests targeted illegal activities including unauthorized deforestation through logging and burning, illicit agricultural operations, unauthorized sand extraction from vulnerable riverbanks, and illegal settlements established near protected scientific reserves. These actions violate the country’s Law 202-04 on Protected Areas.
Enforcement operations yielded substantial confiscations of equipment used in these illegal activities. Authorities impounded multiple vehicles, motorcycles, trucks, and various tools including shovels, picks, and chainsaws. The crackdown also involved the physical dismantling of charcoal production kilns and the destruction of makeshift shelters constructed in protected zones.
Initially held at military facilities and strategic checkpoints, detainees were subsequently transferred to specialized DGM processing centers for formal procedures. The operations spanned multiple regions including Cibao, the northwest, central, and northeast territories of the country, focusing particularly on protected parks, ecologically sensitive wetlands, forest reserves, and riverbank areas where surveillance detected illegal activities.
The DGM characterized these measures as part of a comprehensive strategy to simultaneously enforce immigration regulations and protect the nation’s environmental resources. This dual-purpose approach reflects the government’s commitment to addressing both border security and ecological preservation through coordinated enforcement actions across multiple jurisdictions.