"We have faced multiple interests" says Director of Migration when handing over Haina center.
Venancio Alcántara says he has fought tirelessly to protect the Dominican Republic.
San Cristóbal, Haina._ The General Directorate of Migration (DGM) delivered a new immigration interdiction processing center that operates in Haina, San Cristóbal municipality, built under international standards and to have a more humane place for nationals and foreigners being processed.
The new building has two rooms for men, one for women, an area for children to be delivered to UNICEF and another for Dominicans who are repatriated.
The Director General of Migration, Venancio Alcántara, took the opportunity to highlight the modernization of the institution, the actions to improve the quality of the different processes and the purchase of equipment and vehicles for the different tasks of the institution. He added that in the different indicators the scores average 95.
In addition to the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, the event was attended by the Minister of the Interior and Police, Jesús Vázquez Martínez, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco, other officials and representatives of international organizations.
The General Directorate of Migration has an ISO 9001:2016 certification and has put out to tender two more certifications.
Full speech by the Director General
Distinguished national authorities, special guests, members of the press, officials and other personalities present here.
Since President Luis Abinader Corona appointed us to assume the functions of this Directorate, we accepted the challenge of the burden that represents the execution of the migration policy of the Dominican Republic and, in these circumstances, we have faced the constant challenge of the multiple interests that influence migration. We set ourselves the goal of creating a modern and model institution for all State institutions.
We have confronted the mafias that operate in the illegal trafficking of immigrants, implementing a zero tolerance policy internally with respect to personnel who break the law, taking appropriate measures for each case. We have fought to harmonize work with other institutions that support the Immigration Directorate, such as: the ARMED FORCES , the NATIONAL POLICE , the PUBLIC MINISTRY and the JUDICIAL BRANCH , in addition to listening to the opinions and suggestions of INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS and CIVIL SOCIETY .
We continue to fight tirelessly to protect our country; we have increased deportations like never before; we are zealous guardians of the control of the entry and exit of foreigners, and we reinforce the policy of receiving Dominicans who arrive as repatriates.
As an institution, we have assumed the great commitment of President Luis Abinader to public management with a human face in the three strategic axes of our functions:
- Control of entries and exits within the national territory;
- Legalization of foreigners in accordance with legal regulations;
- Institutional strengthening.
Today we are at the inauguration of this important building, the Immigration Interdiction Processing Center , built under international norms and standards to continue with a more humane management and adherence to the law, international conventions and our Constitution, as a reaffirmation of the policy outlined by President Luis Abinader Corona.
This work had a cost of more than ( 88 ) million pesos , and it has three (3) interdiction rooms: two (2) for men, and one (1) for women, with their respective bathrooms; one (1) area for children to be delivered to CONANI; and one (1) multipurpose room to receive Dominicans who arrive deported from other countries.
As we have already said, we have new Centers in the provinces of Dajabón, Elías Piña and Jimaní, all of them with the facilities required to carry out the investigation work of foreigners temporarily detained, for the screening and processing, in a more humane, more professional place, in accordance with international requirements, so that each interdicted person with irregular migratory status is received and treated in accordance with compliance with due process, thus respecting their fundamental rights.
In addition to the renovation of the Santiago de los Caballeros and Benerito Centers in Higüey, we have expanded our work through the GOB Points in the Sambil and Occidental Mall Plazas in Santo Domingo, and in Colinas Mall, Santiago de los Caballeros; thus streamlining the Autogate Automated Check-in Registration work , and other services that this institution offers.
Despite the numerous difficulties, we continue to move forward, achieving goals that seemed unattainable within the public management indicators. This General Directorate maintains high performance indices in the following areas:
- NOBACI 100%
- ICI 80%
- Free Access to Information Act 93%
- PUBLIC CONTRACTS: 93%
- SISACNOC 92%
- SISMAP 89%
- ITICGE 97%
- IPG 100%
- COMMITMENT LETTER: 97%
Thus, a general index of 94% was obtained , which is an unprecedented fact.
In the area of Immigration Control
A Monitoring Center is currently being set up that will be responsible for monitoring interdiction vehicles in real time, through an advanced GPS system. This tracking capacity will allow us to closely supervise the movements and activities of these vehicles.
As for the Migration Interdiction Centers, at the national level it was decided that each one will have a representative from the National Council of Human Rights, the Dominican Committee of Human Rights and UNICEF, to ensure due process and guarantee, at all times, respect for the fundamental rights of each and every one of those involved.
In the area of Immigration
In conjunction with the CIE-RD, a “ One- Stop Shop ” was launched in an effort to streamline and simplify the processes for foreign investors interested in establishing themselves in the country. Pro-Dominicana’s One-Stop Shop for Investment has proven to be a valuable tool for investors, by centralizing in one place the procedures and services related to foreign investment in the Dominican Republic. Now, with the inclusion of the procedures for Residence by Investment, the process is simplified even further, eliminating the need for multiple procedures in different government entities.
In the area of Information and Communication Technologies
The capture of biometrics in immigration, foreign affairs and deportation processes has been improved, with the aim of storing fingerprints in standard WSQ format, thus allowing biometric interoperability with other institutions. This will allow for a reduction in time in public procedures and precision in the identification of people, integrating important institutions such as the DNI, IDAC and Pro-Dominicana.
During the year 2023, from the First to the Third Quarter, we were ranked Number ONE , with a record of 98.99% , and in the Fourth Quarter we were ranked Number TWO , in the category of institutions that provide services to citizens, with a score of 94.95% among a total of 342 participating institutions. In the ICT Use and Digital Government Index (Citizen Services) we obtained 97% compliance, an unprecedented score.
The General Directorate of Immigration, in coordination with the Directorate of Passports, promoted pre-registration for the Autogate service among Dominicans who acquire the issuance or renewal of their passport books, so that they can use this service at the main International Airports, Las Américas and Cibao.
In the area of Planning and Development
The Second Citizen Satisfaction Survey was conducted, where 94% was obtained and 97% in 2024, evaluating five (5) dimensions related to face-to-face services: tangible elements, reliability, responsiveness, security and empathy.
The institution is participating in the second phase of implementation of the Zero Bureaucracy Program , established in Decree No. 640-20, which seeks to offer more efficient services to citizens, through the simplification of processes and the use of technologies, for the automation and digitalization of procedures and public services. In this process, thirteen (13) procedures have been prioritized: twelve (12) from the Immigration Department, and one (1) from the Administrative Department.
In order to guarantee institutional strengthening. Our management certified the Headquarters, Malecón Center and the Airports throughout the country, under the ISO 9001-2015 standard and recently we tendered the ISO 37001 standard which establishes the international standard that specifies the requirements to implement, maintain, review and improve an anti-bribery management system, with the objective of providing a solid framework to help prevent, detect and address bribery and corruption in all its forms and where 20 participants, 10 foundation auditors and 4 lead auditors will be trained, on the other hand, we tendered the ISO 27001-2016 standard which provides us with an information security management system (ISMS) allowing the data supplied to be confidential and complete, available and legal to protect them from the risks that may arise.
In conclusion, this Immigration Interdiction Processing Center represents our commitment to justice, legality and due respect for human rights, so longed for by all of us. It is a testament to the collective effort to manage migration in an orderly and safe manner, thus contributing to the development and stability of our nation.
As an institution, we would particularly like to thank all those who have made this project possible, especially our President of the Republic who did not hesitate to authorize the construction of this work, the Ministries of the Interior and Police and Public Works, the Economic Dining Halls for their ongoing assistance, and all the international organizations that collaborate with us and follow up, as well as all the staff of the General Directorate of Migration.
We also appreciate the collaboration and support from the United Nations System, such as UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
For me, it is an honor to serve the Dominican people from this important position, so that the Dominican Republic has a more humane, more orderly, and safer migration for us and for every foreigner who lives in our territory.
Thank you so much!!!
By: Communications Department