Hours after Ana* gave birth at a public hospital in an eastern province of the Dominican Republic, immigration officials descended on the mother and her newborn to transfer them to a detention center to await deportation to Haiti.
What followed was a five-hour ordeal during which Ana and her baby were confined to a vehicle for several hours, deprived of food or water, and the new mother was denied medical assistance when she reported that she was bleeding.
Her harrowing ordeal is one manifestation of increasingly cruel practices targeting Haitian migrants—including pregnant women and new mothers—living in the Dominican Republic.
Over the last year, there has been a surge in raids—operations aimed at detaining migrants lacking the necessary documentation to reside in the Dominican Republic. These operations are carried out daily, both day and night, in streets, communities, and even private homes. Men and women of all ages—including pregnant women, as well as mothers and fathers with very young children—are detained, all of whom are subject to deportation. In 2025, nearly 380,000 people were deported, representing an increase of more than 80 percent compared to the previous four years.
It is into this bleak landscape that AJWS grantee Asociación Scalabriniana al Servicio de la Movilidad Humana (ASCALA) has been working to inject some measure of hope into rural communities in the eastern region of the country.
“When you see how complicated this work is, it almost feels hopeless. But even if we can help one person have a better future, I think it is worth it,” said Sister Lidia Mara Silva de Souza, the executive director at ASCALA. “That is what keeps us continuing to look for solutions.”
These deportations aren’t happening in a vacuum. The Dominican Republic has a long history of targeting and persecuting Dominicans of Haitian descent and Haitian migrants—who often cross the border seeking employment and fleeing violence.
ASCALA was founded in 2004 to provide support for migrants arriving from Haiti to work in the sugarcane harvest. Since then, that work has evolved to assist Haitian migrants in managing their immigration documentation, and Dominicans of Haitian descent in obtaining their naturalization.
In 2013, a court ruled that children born in the country to foreign parents in transit or without documentation are not entitled to Dominican nationality (even if they were previously registered). The ruling denationalized at least 200,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent.
In light of the obstacles to immigration and naturalization processes, ASCALA conducts interventions in various bateyes (sugarcane plantation communities) throughout the eastern region of the country to raise awareness and assist families with registering their children for birth certificates. ASCALA also offers programs aimed at combating gender-based violence and promoting peacebuilding.
Through its Pregnant Women Project, the organization supports vulnerable women with their prenatal, delivery, and postpartum needs; likewise, it provides primary healthcare assistance via a Mobile Clinic where they identify pregnant women in bateyes in need of specialized care.
Those services became even more critical after April 2025 following new hospital protocols regarding the care of foreign patients. The policy stipulated that patients must present documentation for verification by the General Directorate of Migration. If the patient does not have proper documentation, that person may receive emergency care—provided they cover the associated costs—but once their medical condition is stabilized, immigration officials must be notified. At that point, the patient risks detention and deportation.
The fear of deportation has had a chilling effect. People are now afraid of seeking care at public hospitals; this includes pregnant women who, in many cases, give birth at home—facing grave health risks, including death.
Every day presents a challenge. But for ASCALA, no achievement is too small; they celebrate each one, mindful that the path toward justice and equality is long. And they remain steadfast in their commitment to fight for migrants, like Ana, and for Dominicans who need their help.
“For every document delivered, every baby born healthy, every child who is able to attend school, and every worker who obtains a work permit, we give thanks to God and to the many individuals, organizations, and institutions—such as AJWS—that join us in this mission to build a more just, fraternal, and peaceful society,” said Sister Lidia. “For me, that is the motivation: simply knowing that God will not abandon us. This is the place where we must be.”
*Ana’s name has been changed for her protection.
