Valued at approximately RD$510.6 million
SANTO DOMINGO.- President Luis Abinader today delivered 58 new vehicles to the General Directorate of Migration (DGM), valued at approximately RD$510.6 million, to continue the institutional strengthening and capacity-building plan used to carry out interdiction operations for illegal immigrants, as well as the repatriation process.
The president symbolically handed over the keys to the Minister of the Interior and Police, Faride Raful, and the head of the DGM, Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, ARD, during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Defense facilities. Also in attendance were the ministers Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre, ERD, of Defense, and José Paliza, of the Presidency.
After receiving the keys, Lee Ballester gave the keynote address, thanking them for the delivery and indicating that this brought the number of transportation units the executive branch had awarded to the DGM to 118 in just over a month, to strengthen the immigration management system and, specifically, counter irregular immigration throughout the country.
The vehicles delivered were 50 air-conditioned trucks, each adapted to transport 38 people, ensuring physical protection and ensuring humane, dignified, and quality treatment for all interdicted individuals, regardless of nationality. The buses, a fleet of eight units with a capacity of 51 people each, are equipped with sanitary systems, air conditioning, and other amenities.
“We are fulfilling your mandate, Mr. President, to increasingly dignify the treatment of irregular immigrants in our territory. We are committed and continue to firmly reiterate that we act with respect for human rights, with a team at the DGM capable of carrying out immigration interdiction operations with the courage and boldness that the circumstances and situation warrant,” he stated.
The Director of the DGM added that “each of the men and women who make up this DGM are doing their best to enforce Law 285-04 and its implementing regulations, within the framework of ethics, decorum, and respect for the dignity of all people with whom we interact.”
Also present at the event were Major General Miguel Angel Rubio Báez, ERD, Deputy Minister of Defense for Military Affairs; Deputy Minister Ramón Gustavo Betances Hernández, Deputy Minister of Defense for Naval and Coastal Affairs; Major General Carlos Ramón Febrillet Rodríguez, Deputy Minister of Defense for Air and Space Affairs; and Major General Delio Buenaventura Colón Rosario, ERD, Inspector General of the Armed Forces.
Also present were Major General Jorge Iván Camino Pérez, Commander-in-Chief of the Dominican Republic Army; Brigadier General José Rodríguez Coste, ERD, Director General of the Specialized Corps for Land Border Security (CESFRONT); Brigadier General Enrique Rivera Trujillo, ERD, Director of Intelligence of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Ministry of Defense; and government officials, civilian authorities, and military officials.
Communications Directorate