In the Dominican Republic, the country’s General Directorate of Migration (DGM) has opened an internal disciplinary investigation against two of its uniformed officers, following the rapid spread of a user-recorded video across social media platforms that captures an unusual and controversial detainee transport operation in the southwestern city of San Juan de la Maguana.
The 15-second clip, which was widely shared by users starting July 21, shows the arrested Haitian migrant strapped between the two immigration agents on a single motorcycle, with no visible secure restraints or safety measures in place. The footage quickly triggered widespread public criticism, with migration policy analysts and human rights observers questioning whether the transport method violated existing DGM safety protocols designed for detention and enforcement operations.
In an official statement released to the public following the viral spread of the video, DGM officials provided context for the incident. According to the agency, the two agents were dispatched to respond to a disturbance report at the Plaza Líbano commercial area, where the undocumented migrant was accused of stealing goods from local retailers. DGM representatives said the man actively resisted the arrest attempt and acted aggressively toward responding officers, forcing the agents to restrain him before moving him to a nearby immigration detention center. With no official department transport vehicle immediately available, the agents made the decision to move him on their service motorcycle.
The agency further confirmed that during the short trip to the detention facility, the detainee made sudden, unexpected movements that caused the motorcycle to tip over and crash. Even after the fall, the officers chose to continue transporting the man using the same motorcycle method — a decision that was recorded by a bystander and ultimately led to the agency’s internal investigation into potential policy violations.