Dominican Republic to deport up to 10K Haitians a week, citing an ‘excess’ of immigrants

 SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) -- The Dominican Republic said Wednesday it will begin mass deportations of Haitians living in the country illegally, expelling up to 10,000 people a week.

Government spokesman Homero Figueroa told reporters the decision came after the government noticed an "excess" of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

Figueroa said authorities were keeping an eye on the surge in Haitian migrants as a U.N.-backed mission to combat the stall of gang violence. He said authorities also agreed to step up border surveillance and management, but did not elaborate.

The Dominican Republic said it expelled more than 174,000 people last year and at least 67,000 more in the first half of this year.

Activists have long criticized the government of President Luis Abinader for continuing human rights violations against Haitians and people of Haitian descent born in the Dominican Republic, whom Abinader denies alleging abuses.

Wednesday's announcement came a week after Abinader told the U.N. General Assembly that the United Nations would take "drastic action" if the mission in Haiti fails. The force is led by about 400 police officers from Kenya and supported by about 20 police and soldiers from Jamaica and two senior military officers from Belize. The United States has warned that the mission is understaffed and underfunded, and is pushing for a U.N. peacekeeping force instead. Gangs control 80 percent of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, and violence has left nearly 700,000 Haitians homeless in recent years and forced thousands others to flee the country.