Official: More Haitians sneaking into Dominican territory, report

Dajabon, Dominican Republic.-The number of Haitians looking to enter Dominican territory, using the Montecristi-Dajabónarea as the main route has jumped recently, said Border Security Corps(Cesfront) director Carlos Manuel Aguirre.

He said 70% of the Haitianstrying to enter Dominican territory do so near Dajabón, where most are caughtand returned, but acknowledged that others always manage to slip through securitychecks.

Quoted byelnacional.com.do on the phone, Aguirre notes that despite the illegalcrossings, the border is peaceful.

He said those who leftthe country in June when the registration for the government legalizationprogram concluded are coming back, "because it is easy to see how Haitiansare moving in groups through Dajabón where they get on motorcycles to head manytimes via roads and sometimes through mountainous areas to evade the pursuit ofthe authorities."

He said there areHaitians and Dominicans who know every trail and cross from Haiti to anywhere,including the Masacre River.