VERON, Dominican Republic (AP) 鈥 As soaring violence and political turmoil grip neighboring Haiti, the Dominican Republic will hold elections Sunday that have been defined by calls for more crackdowns on migrants and finishing a border wall dividing the countries.
Politics in the two Caribbean nations sharing the island of Hispaniola have long been intertwined. Haiti鈥檚 spiral into chaos in recent years has coincided with a harsh crackdown by its Dominican neighbor.
President Luis Abinader, a clear frontrunner race as he seeks reelection in the presidential race, has begun to build a Trump-like border wall along Haiti鈥檚 border and carried out mass deportations of 175,000 Haitians just last year. Dominicans also will be choosing members of Congress.
鈥淲e will continue to deport everyone who is illegal from any country,鈥 Abinader said in a debate in late April. 鈥淎 society that doesn鈥檛 do that is chaos and anarchy.鈥
Abinader, who has also pledged to strengthen the nation鈥檚 economy, said he would finish construction of the border wall with Haiti. His closest competitors 鈥 former President Leonel Fern谩ndez and Santiago Mayor Abel Mart铆nez 鈥 have echoed his calls to ramp up the actions against migration.
The crackdown has marked an intensification of longtime policies by the Dominican government that are discriminatory and put vulnerable people at risk.
Fern谩ndez, of the People鈥檚 Force party, said Dominicans were 鈥渁fraid to go out into the streets" despite Abinader's policies. He also said he would continue crackdowns while respecting human rights.
Dominican voters seem to be rewarding Abinader for the crackdown, with the incumbent favored to get more than the 50% support needed to win in the first round of voting. If no candidate reaches the 50% mark a runoff between the top vote-getters would be held.
Ana Pag谩n, a 34-year-old supervisor at a communications company in the country's capital of Santo Domingo, said she approved of the border wall being built and the measures taken by the government.
鈥淣o foreigner who wants to stay here in the Dominican Republic should do so illegally, and that's what (the government) has said," she said.
However, Pag谩n said the wall doesn't solve all of the country's issues, and she referred to what have been the other key electoral issues for Dominicans: crime and endemic corruption. Pag谩n said many of the country's security problems come from corrupt officials allowing smuggling and other crimes.
While Dominican voters want continued a government crackdown on migrants, many of the hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the Dominican Republic live in fear.
Haiti, long stricken by tragedy, has been in a downward spiral since the assassination of President Jovenel Mo茂se in 2021. Gangs have warred for power, injecting terror and turmoil into the lives of many in the Caribbean nation.
In recent weeks 鈥 following the prime minister's resignation 鈥 a with choosing Haiti's new leaders has offered a small dose of hope of easing some of the country's many woes.
The ongoing violence has forced many to flee their homes and seek refuge in places like the Dominican Republic and the United States. The Dominican government's policies have stirred concerns among both newly arrived migrants and Haitians that have long called the Dominican Republic home.
Yani Rimpel, a 35-year-old Haitian businesswoman in the eastern city of Veron, has lived in the country for 20 years. She told the AP she鈥檚 never seen such uncertainty among Haitian communities, something she attributes to Abinader鈥檚 migratory policy.
Two weeks ago, she said immigration agents broke into her house at dawn with heavily armed soldiers in tow. She said they searched the house and stole cash she saved up to buy and sell merchandise, leaving her without any means to support herself.
鈥淚f (Abinader) stays in power, I can鈥檛 live here. I鈥檓 going to have to move back to my house in Haiti. Because here I have no value. I鈥檓 not safe. I don鈥檛 have a way to live here if he continues鈥 as president, she said.
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Megan Janetsky reported from Mexico City.
