The government of the Dominican Republic on Tuesday signed a non-binding agreement with the United States to accept a limited number of third-country nationals without criminal records on a temporary basis, pending their eventual return to their home countries. The deal, announced by the Dominican Foreign Ministry and confirmed by U.S. Ambassador Leah Campos, swiftly drew condemnation from opposition figures and former officials who say it undermines Dominican sovereignty and was negotiated without adequate transparency.
Manolo Pichardo, a representative of the opposition Fuerza del Pueblo party, told The Associated Press that the memorandum represents “a surrender of our national sovereignty” that “subordinates Dominican interests to the geopolitical priorities of major Western powers and their strategic allies.” Former Foreign Minister Andrés Navarro echoed the criticism, demanding that the government immediately publish the full text of the agreement. “What has been published says practically nothing,” Navarro said Tuesday, questioning whether the arrangement could compromise the country’s ability to control its borders and immigration policy.
The Foreign Ministry pushed back, stating that the deal “will be carried out in accordance with national law and the country’s international obligations, without altering Dominican immigration policy or current border control and management procedures.” The ministry also stressed that the agreement does not apply to children or nationals from neighboring Haiti, with which the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola. Campos, in an Instagram post, added that “this short-term memorandum of understanding allows the United States to remove and repatriate third-country nationals more quickly, while respecting Dominican law, the country’s sovereignty, and current border procedures.”
The agreement is the latest in a series of Trump administration deals with countries in Latin America and Africa that have drawn criticism. As the Associated Press has reported, the U.S. has spent millions of dollars on such third-country deportation arrangements as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, which includes deporting migrants to countries other than their own. The deals have faced legal challenges and diplomatic friction, with critics arguing that they offload U.S. border enforcement responsibilities onto often-unwilling partners.
In the Dominican Republic, the opposition’s swift response underscores the political sensitivity of immigration policy, particularly in light of longstanding tensions over the treatment of Haitian migrants and the country’s own enforcement posture. While the Foreign Ministry has promised the MOU will not alter existing controls, the lack of full text has left room for suspicion. Navarro, who served as foreign minister under a previous administration, said his concern is not about maintaining good relations with Washington, but about ensuring any deal “does not violate Dominican sovereignty.”
The non-binding nature of the memorandum means it does not impose legal obligations, but critics note that such agreements frequently evolve into operational realities under sustained U.S. pressure. The Dominican Republic’s government has yet to commit to a timeline for publication of the full text.