ROSEAU, Dominica- CMC –The Dominican government says it has been informed by the United States that there are at least 104 Dominicans illegally residing in the North American country and that plans are being made to have them returned to the Caribbean island in keeping with US President Donald Trump’s order to evict illegal migrants.
“We have been informed by the United States government that there are about 104 Dominicans that they have identified who will be served with eviction notices to be removed from the United States for various reasons,” Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told a news conference on Monday.
“They are not in a position to give those names until those persons are in their custody. So our embassy in Washington is in touch with the State Department to share information with us,” Skerrit said, adding that he has been informed that at least four nationals are in US custody awaiting deportation.
“We are facilitating documentation, because there are some people with no documents because of the length of time they spent in the United States and we have to provide them with travel documents.”
He said because of this situation, the Dominica government is moving quickly to fill the position of Counsel General in New York as a priority given that only nationals can apply for that position.
“You cannot be a US citizen to hold that post because that position is very crucial coordinating with the State Department and the various state agencies in processing Dominicans who have to be deported,” he added.
There have been calls for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders when they meet in Barbados later this week to discuss a common position concerning the deportation of their citizens.
But Skerrit told reporters each country in the world has a right to deport any illegal migrant and more so, Trump had made it an issue during his campaign for the White House.
“I have a different view from most people. Mr. Trump was elected by the people of the United States of America. He said to them what he was going to do. He is doing what he said he was going to do and we respect that.
“He is the president of the United States and this is a domestic policy and the reality is most countries, if not all countries in the world have the same practice. Mr. Trump has a way of making things more substantial than they are and he is doing that, but we have no issue with his immigration policy…and we will continue to cooperate with them and facilitate the repatriation of any Dominican, who has been deemed to be not have a bona fide status in America, ” Skerrit told reporters.
CMC/gf/ir/2025