HAVANA—As a mass number of migrants flee Haiti, the Dominican Republic—its island neighbor—has responded with stronger border policies and a military buildup the government claims will “guarantee border security.”
On Sunday, Dominican President Luis Abinader announced the country’s biggest purchase of military gear since 1961–six helicopters, ten aircraft, 21 armored vehicles, and four anti-riot trucks.
If international troops are sent in response to an appeal by Haiti’s government for help against gangs, “We would close and block the border … It’s very dangerous for the integrity of the Dominican Republic to receive asylum seekers in the country,” Abinader said in a press conference….