Between migration and reforms, Abinader gives an account

President Luis Abinader will renew his constitutional commitment to accountability on February 27, in what will be the first address to Congress, for these purposes, of his second term as head of the Dominican State.

After a four-year administration and a first semester marked by challenges, the president will present a summary of the objectives achieved and the projections for the current year.

Since August 16, when he took office for a second term, the Dominican Republic has experienced a series of events that have shaped a political scenario with advances and tensions.

Infographic — Operations of the General Directorate of Migration on October 7, 2024. ( **DIARIO LIBRE/DANIA ACEVEDO** )

The crisis in Haiti has been a dominant theme in this period. Faced with limited progress by the Kenya- led Multinational Mission to Support the Haitian Police, on October 2, 2024, President Abinader ordered the deportation of up to 10,000 Haitians per week.

This measure, which was implemented with greater intensity towards the end of last year, generated criticism from the international community.

According to the latest report from Migration , at the end of 2024, 276,215 foreigners with irregular immigration status were repatriated, of which 34.1% (94,223) were deported in the last quarter of the year.

In 2025, two visits put the Dominican Republic in the international spotlight: that of the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and that of the Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González.

[object HTMLTextAreaElement] — U.S. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio and President Luis Abinader at the National Palace. (9/2/2025) ( **DIARIO LIBRE / EDDY VITTINI** )

Rubio arrived in the country on February 5 and, in a visit lasting less than 24 hours, held meetings with the president and other national authorities to discuss issues of cooperation in security, migration, trade, the Haitian situation and the fight against drug trafficking.

On January 9, González Urrutia had a meeting with Abinader at the National Palace. This meeting added a new point of friction to the already deteriorating diplomatic relations between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela , suspended since July 2024.

This meeting represented a new point of friction in the already deteriorating diplomatic relations between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela , suspended since July 2024.

Although promises of substantial reforms have been around since the president's first presidential campaign, they gained significant momentum in Congress after his inauguration.

In the case of constitutional reform , the Executive Branch presented the draft amendment to the Magna Carta three days after Abinader took office.

After weeks of debates in Congress, the National Assembly proclaimed, on October 27, 2024, a new Constitution, which included the reduction of 20 deputies in the Lower House, the unification of congressional, municipal and presidential elections for 2032 and the change in the appointment of the Attorney General of the Republic , which now falls to the National Council of the Judiciary.

In contrast, the tax reform did not succeed. It was submitted to the Chamber of Deputies on October 8, but the president himself announced its withdrawal 11 days later, following a wave of criticism and protests against the tightening of the tax system.

The government reform currently on the table is that of the Labor Code , a piece that will be one of the main themes of the legislative session that opens on February 27. Despite the level of consensus, the new Labor Code , currently under study in the Senate, has found a key point of difference that polarizes employers and workers: unemployment.

State restructuring : the anticipation of tax reform

As part of an administrative restructuring plan to reduce expenses, the Government promoted the elimination of six institutions and the merger or suppression of nine departments of the Executive Branch. According to the Central Government, this policy resulted in savings of 25 billion pesos.

This proposal, in combination with the project rejected by the National Congress, aimed to increase state revenues to expand the State's investment capacity.

Presented in LA Semanal con la Prensa on September 18, the decision involved the elimination or suppression of organizations such as the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Mescyt), the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (Mepyd) and the Administrative Ministry of the Presidency (Mapre).

Institutions such as the Dominican Agrarian Institute, the National Council for Agricultural Research and the Social Subsidy Administrator (Adess), the Presidential Commission for Support to Provincial Development, Fonvivienda and Familia Feliz, the Economic Dining Halls and the National Authority for Maritime Affairs were also included.

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Between migration and reforms, Abinader gives an account