The DGM celebrates its 86th anniversary by reaffirming its commitment to sovereignty and migration institutions.
SANTO DOMINGO. – The General Directorate of Migration (DGM) commemorates its 86th anniversary today, Monday, April 14, reaffirming its renewed commitment to national security, immigration regulation, institutional modernization, and administrative efficiency.
Within this framework, the DGM has made significant progress by strengthening its organizational structure, expanding its national presence, continuously training its human capital, improving its technological equipment, increasing its operational capacity, and creating new infrastructure, all with the aim of offering an increasingly efficient, modern, and high-quality service to its citizens and the millions of foreigners who visit the Dominican Republic.
Since the enactment of Immigration Law No. 95 on April 14, 1939, and its implementing regulations issued on May 12 of the same year, the DGM has been the governing body for the country's immigration policies, regulating essential aspects such as non-resident status, residence permits, deportations, and the control of entry and exit by land, sea, and air.
The legal framework governing the institution's actions was strengthened with the enactment of General Migration Law No. 285-04, dated August 15, 2004, and its implementing regulations contained in Decree No. 631-11. These laws laid the groundwork for a new legal framework for migration, designed to ensure orderly management consistent with national interests.
Throughout its more than eight decades of history, the DGM has played a fundamental role in defending national sovereignty, responding to the challenges of irregular migration, especially that originating from Haiti. In this regard, it is worth highlighting the implementation of immigration control and regularization policies by various governments, aimed at preserving institutional order; one example of this was the implementation of the National Plan for the Regularization of Foreigners.
In the current historical context facing the Dominican Republic, faced with the increasing flow of irregular Haitian migrants, the General Directorate of Migration (DGM) has established itself as one of the main institutions in which citizens place their trust, acting as a first line of defense against the unwanted effects of this unregulated mobility. In response to this reality, the DGM has taken on this challenge with commitment and responsibility, deploying coordinated efforts at the national level to control a phenomenon that directly impacts the entire Dominican population.
During the current administration of President Luis Abinader, the priority given to migration issues has been evident. Since 2021, the repatriation process has intensified and important reforms have been implemented, including the most recent measures announced on April 6. These reforms are aimed not only at strengthening control mechanisms, border security, and the regulatory framework, but also at regulating access to public health services for the migrant population.
During the same period, from 2020 to the present, the General Directorate of Immigration has deported 578,927 foreigners and repatriated 362,860, reaching a total of 941,787 people repatriated, in compliance with current legal provisions and established protocols.
Currently, the General Directorate of Migration is under the leadership of Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, ARD, who leads a team committed to institutional strengthening and strict compliance with current regulations. Under his direction, and with the support of the Ministry of Defense, through the Army, Navy, Air Force, CESFRONT (National Commission for the Protection of National Migration), and CIUTRAN (National Migration Commission), as well as the Ministry of the Interior and Police and the National Police, the institution is working hard to consolidate an immigration regime that contributes to the preservation of national identity and the full exercise of sovereignty.
On the occasion of this new anniversary, the Director General thanked President Abinader for the trust placed in him and reiterated his firm commitment to administrative efficiency, transparency in the use of public resources, and providing quality service to users.
Communications Directorate