Tensions to rise on Haiti-Dominican Republic border

Significance

One is the Dominican Republic’s controversial plan to build a border ‘wall’, to halt undocumented migration. Another is the Haitian authorities’ recent construction of an irrigation canal just within the Haitian side of the border. Protests and border clashes are likely to intensify over the coming months.

Impacts

• Increased border security will drive up demand for, and the cost of, cross-border smuggling, worsening insecurity.
• Effective border policing may foster short-term labour shortages in the Dominican Republic.
• Demands for vaccination evidence before crossing the border will probably prompt a surge in black-market vaccination certificates.