Spanish
Santo Domingo.- Some 80 Dominicans are returning voluntarily each month from the United States and Puerto Rico, following the entry into force of the immigration policy promoted by President Donald Trump, which intensified the raids against foreigners in irregular situations.
According to reports obtained at the Las Américas International Airport (AILA), from January to date, nearly 500 nationals have returned voluntarily or with route letters issued by Dominican consulates, in an attempt to avoid being detained, held, and then deported by immigration authorities.
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Many of these citizens had been illegally residing for years in cities like New York, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, engaging in various economic activities. A high percentage had entered with a legal visa but exceeded the authorized time. Sources indicate that, in some cases, entire families have returned, and that at least 70% comes from the continental U.S., while the remaining 30% arrives from Puerto Rico. Although some were in the process of regularization, the increasing migratory pressure and aggressive raids —including home and business raids— have motivated their voluntary return. In addition to these returns, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported 1,248 Dominicans so far this year, many of them detained in raids or after serving sentences for various crimes.
