Dominican Republic steps up Haitian deportations, raising tensions

FILE PHOTO: Dominican Republic's President Luis Abinader speaks at the Leaders' Second Plenary Session during the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 10, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

(Reuters) - The Dominican Republic is stepping up deportations of Haitians and is creating a police unit focused on foreigners, fueling tensions between the two Caribbean nations whose relations have for decades been marred by migration disputes.

Dominican President Luis Abinader last week issued a decree calling for stepped up migration protocols enforcement and the creation of a police unit to investigate foreigners living in "illegal land occupations."